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The Southern Razada Range
Chapter 22

There was a moment of where others wondered why Steel was ready to stop at the base of the mountains, but everything became clear once the sun had began to fall behind them. As soon as sun had set, the chill of night came as swiftly as the darkness. Few were not bothered by the cold, but most could not stand it.
Taj was one of the first people to start shivering from the bite of the frigid wind. He wrapped the scarf tighter around his neck and brought it up to cover his nose. Davis and Leo began to make a fire in order to keep warm, but they were also the most visibly bothered by the incoming chill. Even warming the air around themselves, the Fire Users were uneasy.
To Taj’s dismay, Ken was unaffected by the cold, as was Kalon. Caza put on a heavier leather jacket when they stopped and sported a stylish fedora. To everyone’s surprise, Dimi had been responsible enough to bring his own coat, but still complained about the cold. Steel was impervious to the temperature, but kept his cloak around his metal arm with extra caution. Every few minutes Ryo saw him touch the metal with his good arm and summon a small Fire along the length of his arm.
“The metal will give him frostbite if he’s not careful,” Leo explained to Ryo quietly and out of Steel’s hearing. Ryo murmured something to himself about letting the arm freeze up.
Kyo offered his cloak to Kaira, who refused with a sweet smile and instead took the spare jacket Ryo had brought. The offer made Ryo keep an even closer eye on the young man he thought to be from Weane.
The gesture also attracted Taj’s jealous attention. Cold though he was, the Water User removed his precious scarf and held it out to Kaira.
“Please wear it,” Taj prompted.
“Are you sure?” Kaira was concerned.
“Yeah…”
Kaira accepted the scarf, but was not entirely convinced that Taj was warm without it. He shook his head and repeatedly told her that he was warm enough without it, but when her back was turned Taj continuously shivered uncontrollably. With the scarf gone, Taj got enough courage to shoot snobby look at Kyo. Who paid him no heed.
Taj watched over Kaira proudly for a while, but the cold slowly started to get the best of him. Taj’s complexion started to ashen and become tinged with blue, his nose began to run a little bit at a time and continuously got worse, his lips started to turn purple, and his teeth were chattering violently. It was not long before Taj’s pride vanished and he attempted to make himself comfortable by Davis’ fire. The warmth of the flames did not do much for Taj’s body, only somewhat immediately warming his hands and his feet. He was reluctant to put his face anywhere near the fire.
“I almost feel sorry for him…” Kyo mentioned to Ken. “The stubborn fool would sooner freeze to death than admit weakness to her.”
“Don’t be…the sooner he learns to swallow his pride around her, the better. Just because she’s his friend, he runs around with some sort of stupid complex like he’s better than everyone else. But there’s not an ounce of fight in him. If you get closer to her a bit, cuddle up with her to offer a body heat alternative and that’ll shoot him down.”
“Offer her my body heat? I do not believe I am well enough acquainted with her to offer such a thing.” Kyo mentioned, somewhat uncomfortable with the idea. “There is the protocol of formality, chivalry, and personal space…”
“Trust me, Kyo. I don’t think she’ll refuse…” Ken said without a trace of doubt in his voice. He motioned with his head for Kyo to observe Kaira as she sat by the fire. She huddled close for warmth, trying to cozy up, while occasionally glancing up at Kyo and once their eyes locked, quickly looking back down with a blush.
“How certain are you that she will be accepting? Also, I do not wish to anger anyone else by being so hasty…”
“Her cousin Davis and Uncle Leo will be uncomfortable with a stranger warming her up, but it‘s not like they‘ll try stopping you. I can’t make any promises about her father…”
“Her father is here? Which is he?”
“If I didn’t trust you already, I would tell you Janon.” Ken glanced around. “However, that man over there is her father. His name is Ryo…”
“Ryo? Strange…I feel as if I’ve heard that name before…” Kyo half-muttered to himself. He looked where Ken had gestured and saw Ryo, but his back was turned. Even then, it stirred nothing more than a familiar sense.
“Did you figure out if you’re going to kick Taj off his high horse?” Ken went back on the previous subject. “Come on, it‘ll be funny!”
Taj shot them with a dirty look. He heard his name mentioned, but was unaware of anything else the two had said. He shook his head and turned back to the fire, ignoring the two.
“I wonder why they’re so chummy already…” Taj mentioned to Jim. “You would never have guessed they were fighting each other at one point…”
“I think it’s because they have respect for each other,” Jim mentioned.
“Shut up, Jim…”
Davis put down the book he had been reading. “Jim is right, Taj. Fighting honorably brings respect even from the most powerful opponents, that cheap shot you tried with your Water Element might have cost you a possible friend. And please don’t take this the wrong way, you don’t have many of them.”
“What are you talking about? you’re my friend. Right Davis?”
“Tell me when was the last time we had a meaningful conversation about anything, or what was the last meal we ate together in Hollow, or even what my birthday is.”
“Are you saying we’re not friends?” Taj asked, somewhat hurt by the idea.
“You spend all your time fawning over my cousin, when was the last time we even hung out together? All I’m saying is, even if we were friends, you treat me more like a close acquaintance and only to get closer to Kaira.”
“I’m not that bad, am I?”
“Yes, you are.” Jim answered bluntly.
“Jim, am I your friend?”
“You tell me to shut up all the time. So, no…and it’s because you’re an ass.”
Defeated and downtrodden, Taj hung his head for the rest of the evening, only bothering to talk to Davis and Jim. He watched sorely as Kaira joined Ken and Kyo, sitting closer to Kyo than Ken by their fire. When Kyo offered her a portion of his cloak to share Taj was forced to turn away and remain staring at the fire before him for the rest of the night.
At his own fire with the older members of the party, Ryo stared at Kyo irritably, but never said anything either, though he wanted to call Kaira away from the young man. Even with his back turned, Ryo felt that Kyo was still somehow watching him. He recalled how when Kyo was still only a child in Weane, he somehow always knew what Ryo was doing, and it always bothered Ryo. It had to have been eleven years ago. Ryo literally remembered the night Kyo was born, if this was even the same Kyo. How could so many years have already passed? Thinking about it, he didn’t feel any older.
That night Steel wandered off from the group. Janon was gone as well, but no one seemed to notice or care. With only those two gone, the group relaxed a little easier, even in the shadow of the cold mountain.
“It’s so cold…and we’re not even at the snowy parts yet! Could you guys have been born ANY farther away from Hollow?” Dimi complained loudly to Leo and Ryo.
“Technically, you were born in Camaria too, Dimi,” Leo pointed out.
“So? I don’t remember any of it! Especially not this cold!”
“I’d kill my grandmother for a drink,” Kalon grumbled. Being away from alcohol for over a day had made him more irritable than usual. As always, Caza was silent with an expressionless face.
“Does it always snow where you’re from?” Dimi asked, ignoring Kalon for a change.
“Of course not. We had distinct seasons in the valley, and it was warm in the summer,” Leo explained.
“Did stuff grow, or was it like the desert?” Kalon asked, lighting a cigarette.
“There were trees and grass, yes.”
“So how come you never told any of us you two were from this place? It couldn’t have been that bad if you didn’t have to scrounge around for food or anything.”
I did have to scrounge around for food… Ryo shifted and tried to nonchalantly stare off into the darkness as if he wasn’t paying any attention to what was being said. Their voices began to blur out as Ryo watched his daughter with Kyo. Even though Ryo didn’t trust him, Kyo kept the cloak sharing as what it was and left it innocent. Kaira was speaking mostly to Kyo when she spoke, and she spoke often in an excited tone, telling him about the life she had in Hollow and other childhood stories. Ryo was somewhat relieved that there wasn’t the story of her first kiss among them, but at the same time feared Kyo would take that role. Kaira was still his little girl and Ryo wouldn’t allow her to be with any man out of fatherly protection. A part of him knew that this would not be the case, but he was determined to keep her pure and innocent from man as long as possible.
Kyo showed active interest in her stories and he acknowledged comments made by Davis and Taj for when they were there. Taj usually responded more bitterly towards Kyo in his comments, as some of the stories were partially him cowering to Ken or how Kaira had helped him. Davis occasionally cleared up any minor mix-ups in Kaira’s stories when he was present within them, like the book he was reading the day of Ken punching Taj’s tooth out and clearing up the reason why Ken punched Taj to begin with.
And as intently as Kyo listened, so did Ryo. He felt as if he were learning about some of his daughter’s life. All those many years that he had lost to separation and exile, it was painful for Ryo to think about and even more so when he realized that listening to her stories was the only way he had any insight of her life up until this point. A steady frown made its way across Ryo’s countenance.
“My butt hurts from the ground being so cold and hard. Kalon! Make the ground under my butt softer! And Leo, warm up the spot when he’s done.” Dimi’s loud voice echoed and he even managed to catch Ryo’s attention again.
“You can suck an egg.” Kalon grumbled angrily as he turned his back to Dimi.
“Could you at least say please?” Leo asked him.
“Please warm my cold ass.” Dimi replied.
Leo disregarded Dimi’s request and focused on keeping the fire in front of the party alive longer. The fire could only burn without a fuel source under the control of a User, and if a fire without a fuel source was left unattended, the fire would die quickly. The party eventually fell into an uncomfortable silence, all gazing into the dancing flames before them, some wondering what lies ahead of them beyond the mountain range. Ryo and Leo wondered more about Camaria, what sort of place it could be, and if they would come back alive from this mission.
In the distance, off the prominent mountain path on a steep trail that ascended higher onto a lonely cliff top, Janon stood by his lonesome watching over the others in judgmental scorn. Janon scoffed to the winds and muttered curses upon most of the others, the only one he held nothing against or for was Caza, even still he despised him by association. His uncaring eyes scanned over the younger group. He held each individual in his cold gaze, judging their worth and how they could be used.
Very quickly, Janon had disregarded Jim as a childish fool, naivety serves no purpose to him. Davis was a mirror of his father in virtue: intelligent, responsible, caring, always thinking. Janon saw people like them as dangerous, their freethinking would bring the deaths of corrupt government and snakes in disguise. Ken was similar to his father in some regards, quick-tempered and somewhat crude, but unlike Kalon, there was a working genius in him. Janon believed that he was just as dangerous to him as Davis, if not more so. Kyo was unreadable, a mysterious stranger with no identifiable origins. Other than his honor in battle and an impeccably strong fighting skill, nothing else was known about him. Janon found him the most unsettling of all.
Taj was the last Janon observed and as initially thought, could serve him faithfully. The young Water User was plagued with doubt, low self-esteem, and had strong hatred buried within him. Along with his faults, there was also his undying desperation for Kaira, Janon was certain that Taj would be very easy to manipulate. Janon also noticed that there was an untapped potential trapped within Taj, one that would not be unlocked so easily with the disbelief that he burdened himself with.
“Look at him coveting my daughter…” Janon said to himself, his voice hidden by the moaning wind. “We are so very much alike in some ways. Our hatred makes us strong, young one. That envy you carry, you will turn it into strength. Jealousy and scorn will be your true weapons. In time, you will see…”
“Do you talk to yourself a lot?” A voice called out behind Janon.
“Who’s there?!” Janon tensed up, spinning on his heel into a fencer’s stance with his rapier drawn.
“Your scars I gave you are coming along nicely. How many compliments do you get on them?” Ryo asked and tried not to laugh while speaking. He could see the embarrassment work its way into Janon’s posture.
Without a word, Janon had sheathed his weapon and turned his back to Ryo. His fists were clinched in ire, his knuckles were whitening from the force. Janon slowly calmed himself before finally working up the nerve to speak. “Why have you come here?”
“I don’t trust you and I never will.”
“An already well established fact, Demon. Why have you come here?!” Janon shouted, losing his patience.
“I came looking for you because I didn’t see where you wandered off to. I’m just making sure you don’t have your bow ready to shoot somebody.” Ryo said calmly.
“That’s not a half bad idea, I only wish I had thought of that before you visited.” Janon said with forced lamentation.
“Whatever.” Ryo muttered and started to walk away. “I’m guessing you’ll be staying up here by yourself.”
“Sooner or later, an Angel realizes that he is better off alone. Some recognize this sooner than others. Since I’ve no control over you, I wish to be left in solitude.” Janon said, looking over the horizon. Touching the burned side of his face where he now wore the porcelain mask that concealed his scars.
“What?” Ryo asked.
“Don’t concern yourself with my thinking. Just be gone.”
Ryo stood behind Janon, dumbfounded by his cryptic speech. He choose to ignore it. Without another word, Ryo obeyed what Janon said and left the cliff top. Down the trail, where the remains of dead bushes stood, Ryo cautiously descended back to the others.
A sudden gust of wind from the mountains rushed through the trees and almost knocked Ryo off balance. As quickly as it had come the wind was gone and the base of the mountain was silent. For a while after that Ryo stared off into the darkness but nothing dangerous or remarkable happened. A little more confused than before, Ryo kept going.
A loud noise screeched and echoed through the night from further ahead. Ryo froze in place looking to the large mountains and the winding path. The sound resonated off the mountains and was untraceable. Ryo heard the groups shifting, some of the others muttering, and Dimi shouting a loud “what the hell was that?!” Leo and Davis quickly tried calming the groups down, assuring them that there was nothing to be worried about. Kyo’s green eyes studied the mountains with a deep intensity, his eyes seemed certain and he kept one hand on the hilt of his sword.
When heading back to the group, Ryo passed Caza, walking in the opposite direction away from the group. His chakrams were in his hands, ready. “What are you doing?” Ryo asked him.
“I’m going to keep watch.” Caza said without giving Ryo a second glance or slowing his pace. “Leo and Davis told everyone that it was just the wind blowing through a cave in the mountain somewhere…but I control the wind and that was not it.”
Ryo didn’t stop Caza from venturing onward, no one could once he made up his mind like that. Ryo sat back down by Leo, as Dimi kept rambling on to Kalon about what that noise might have been. Ryo looked at Leo and spoke in a hushed whisper, “Do you really think that sound was just the wind?”
“Of course not, but panic will do none of us any good.” Leo was unrealistically calm. “Most of us are cold and the mountains are dark, even if something were out there, we would be lashing out at resonations. Caza volunteered to keep watch, so we should be safe. Honestly, I don’t think there is anyone else more vigilant than him…we couldn’t be in better hands.” Leo spoke quietly, making sure that only Ryo heard him and more importantly that Dimi didn’t.
“You don’t really think there are dragons out here?”
“Steel said dragons do not come this far south often. But there could be dragons here from time to time. Even Kyo said he’s killed dragons before.”
Nothing more needed to be said after that.
Ryo watched the forest and began to lie down. Ryo felt uneasy when he noticed that Kaira was falling asleep on Kyo’s shoulder, but he let it go. She looked warm and was smiling. Kyo carefully undid his cloak and wrapped it around her, letting the wolf-fur act as a pillow when he laid her down. Kyo seemed to resist the cold well enough in just his trench coat, he sat nearby her and attempted to fall asleep with his sword in hand. But always Kyo stared around, as if expecting something the others did not, and Ryo noted this. The others fell asleep near where they had sat, close to the fire. Finally giving in, Ryo felt himself starting to drift away into slumber, even though he wasn’t tired.

And in the darkness of night, Janon stood with his bow in his hand, glancing over the sleeping group. With the flick of his wrist, particles of ice came together to form a single frost arrow that slid into his hand. He drew back his bow, holding the arrow firmly in place for several moments, and aimed carefully at his target. Satisfied, with a simple motion, the arrow was shot and collided almost silently in front of the sleeping Taj’s face. The noise was only enough to force the Water User awake and then turn his attention on Janon. Janon slowly made a gesture with his finger that demanded Taj to follow.
Taj nodded in acknowledgement and quietly gathered his bearings before venturing out to Janon’s cliff top, doing his best to disturb no one, especially Ken.
“You did well, Young Blood.” Janon’s voice was dark and hushed.
“Young Blood?” Taj said to himself in a low voice, not catching Janon’s attention.
“You have successfully made it to me without awakening anyone around you…I take that as another sign that you are deserving of my training. If you can sneak like this, then taking a life in the dark will come easily. We‘re off to a daring start.”
“I never said anything about killing anybody…” Taj stated boldly, before falling into a quick and awkward silence. Almost biting his tongue as punishment for speaking against the only other person, besides Kaira, who treated him differently than the rest.
Janon stared at Taj in silence before cocking his eyebrow up. “Oh, is that so?” Janon sounded unconvinced and mocked. “I’m sure many honor-infested warriors have made that vow, only to break them soon after coming into their career. You can do it as admirably as you like, but for opponents you cannot best, then stealth is your only chance. Tell me, do you think merely defeating that young Earth User is going to get him off your back? Or that you will have a chance with my beloved daughter as long as you are cast in that stranger’s shadow? A little mental maturity may be just the remedy you need.”
Taj let off a despairing sigh and stared off the cliff top, glancing upon Kaira’s face that was smiling from the comfort offered by Kyo‘s cloak. Taj then turned his sights on Kyo, whose ever-changing eyes occasionally peeked open to check the clearing. Taj felt uneasy just observing him in his sleep, as if Kyo would open his eyes and immediately slay any opposition he sensed during sleep without so much as breaking a sweat.
How can he remain so aware when he’s asleep? Damn that Kyo…even in dreamland, he still has his hand on the handle of his sword. Taj thought, almost disheartened by the skill of his rival. Though he hated Kyo with a passive passion, he wanted to get that good. “Alright, please teach me what you can…”
“Sir,” Janon finished Taj’s statement. “From now on, you shall call me ‘Sir,’ though you should have been doing so before now…”
Janon wasted no time, and demanded Taj to draw his sword and practice on his own with Janon’s supervision and critique. Before long Janon intervened and showed Taj better stances to work with his balance and methods of holding a sword that would not knock it easily from his hand. Simple and vital beginnings. Taj listened, and did not talk often. He practiced what he could, and got irritable when Janon corrected him so wearily often. The breaks were few and far between, for they worked far longer than Taj had expected. When Taj began feeling confident, Janon stepped in to change stances or alter Taj’s movements, always with a corrective, precise tone. Taj fell into a lowly habit of quick nods and even faster transitioning. Into the night they worked like this, awkward but progressing until the sky began lightening with an oncoming dawn.
“Are we not going to sleep this entire journey, Sir?” Taj had to add some sarcasm, but meant what he said.
“We are Angels, Young Blood. You’ll find soon enough that we can go weeks without a wink of sleep. We’ll be somewhat tired, yes, but it will not truly become weakness. We cannot be killed so easily by such a petty thing as sleep.”
Janon called their session over and they soundlessly returned to the camp with the sky still very dark. Taj couldn’t help but grin when he passed by the others, waking none of them. It wasn’t until Kyo that Taj went undetected. As Taj passed, Kyo opened one golden eye and cast a hard stare into Taj, making him shiver all over. Instantly, he knew: Kyo had known the whole time that Taj was gone, and he wanted Taj to know it too.
His good mood ruined, Taj stomped the rest of the way back to his spot. Taj only laid down half a hour before the others began to rouse him fully awake again.

The dream was the same.
Something stirred within him, pressing against his chest and churning something impalpable. Where it touched an indescribable emptiness lay, encased in shadows dressed in mirrors. Such a cavern was an awful experience, and he tried again and again to turn from it. But the infernal emptiness was already a part of himself. Dreadful, fearsome, and vicious.
Worst yet, it was enticing. Terribly enticing. The emptiness drew him in the harder he fought, such a delicate balance of loathing and intimacy. And being here, at the edge of winter only encouraged the cavernous stirring.
The heavens were silent.

At his name being called Ryo jerked awake. In his disorientation he tossed his head around, looking for some enemy that was not there, though Janon was a debatable topic. Ryo thought to himself that sleep was unpleasant so close to the mountains.
“Are you all right?” Leo was mildly worried.
“Nothing.” Ryo answered the wrong question. “Where’s Kaira?”
“Already awake.”
Ryo looked where Leo gestured. His gentle daughter was still by Kyo’s side, delighting in the newcomer’s speech. Reminded of the night before, Ryo held his tongue with bitterness.

“There is a dragon here,” Kyo murmured when he was sure only Ken would hear.
“A dragon?” Ken did not bother hiding the anticipation. “You’re sure?”
“It has been on the move. Silently though. It is uncharacteristically cautious…the dragons that I’ve encountered were young and reckless. Dragons don’t have very much to fear to begin with, and normally only young bulls come this far south, searching for prey.
“And what do they do if their prey starts to escape?”
“They use their Elemental breath to help detain their prey. Fire dragons can trap their prey most effectively.”
“And what do you think about this dragon?”
“A number of things. It could be an elder dragon, I’ve only seen one and they are quite intelligent. Or it could be a dragon that learned its elemental breath isn’t useful for helping to capture prey like wind dragons. Perhaps it could be a sick or injured dragon, they are very territorial and that kind of weakness usually means death if they are within another dragon‘s proximity…Or maybe…“ Kyo’s voice trailed off into deeper thought.
“Maybe what?”
“It could be a dragoness with young.” Kyo said. “A bit unlikely, I admit, but the mothers can be ferocious when protecting their nests. If it is, we should move quickly and cautiously, and pray that she and her young are not hungry.”
Ken nodded and the two quickened their pace. They were not lagging behind, but they slowed down enough to stay out of a whispering earshot. The group was mostly paired off in their discussions, so nobody noticed Ken and Kyo were catching up.
Kaira and Taj were immediately in front of them. Taj was asking if Kaira was missing home and if she was tired. She commented about how she missed home a bit, but was excited to be adventuring outside of Hollow. Taj asked if there was anything he could do for her, but she responded that there wasn’t much to be done about being homesick. A bit disheartened, Taj fell into an awkward silence and waited for her to tell him a story or say anything that wasn’t about Kyo, like a few of their conversations were.
Davis and Jim were a bit further ahead, watching Dimi goof around with Kalon. Jim made a couple of jokes about Dimi, but Davis didn’t laugh much, mostly because the same comments applied to Jim as well. Kalon often punched Dimi for acting stupid, but that didn’t stop Dimi from clinging on to Kalon’s feet and getting dragged along the ground.
“He’ll quit that really quickly once we get to the snowy parts of the mountain…” Davis commented. Jim laughed and went on talking about how he can’t wait to check out the food in Camaria and how his favorite food was spaghetti because it was traditionally served with bread and wondered what kind of breads Camaria had as well.
Further ahead of the group was Leo and Ryo, staying far enough ahead of Dimi to avoid his foolishness and the risk of him overhearing any serious conversation the two had and blowing it out of proportion. Ryo was still thinking about last night and what Leo said about the sound they heard. Ryo looked over his shoulder to see Dimi dragging along the ground behind Kalon and with a sigh of relief, he turned to Leo. “So, what do you think that sound we heard was last night?” Ryo spoke quietly enough to make sure that Dimi would not hear.
“Honestly, I can’t tell you. I’ve been away from here and my books of the local wildlife for far too long. I may have had a lot more freedom than you at the Razada House, but Kain feared for my safety and never allowed me to leave the premises, even with the devout sword masters that taught me everything that they knew.”
Ryo grimaced at the thought. He remembered the sword masters and the memories were nothing short of unpleasant. Ryo recalled them talking down to him, treating him like scum and smacking him with their wooden replicas if he looked at them the wrong way. Although, they treated Ryo better than Steel did, he still bore hatred towards them.
Hopefully, they’re either dead or they’ll treat me better now that I’m older. Ryo thought to himself. He severely doubted the latter part, he knew that if Kain and Steel’s beliefs sunk into their old minds, they would not soon forget Ryo or how to treat him.
“Do you remember what Steel mentioned earlier while we were in the forest?” Leo asked calmly.
“About what? I remember the way he acted when we found Kyo and that kind of stuck out the most…”
“He mentioned dragons, Ryo. Dragons were creatures long extinct from the previous ages, even before humanity brought their own demise. They were creatures of myth that were sung of by bards and then later written in fantasy stories. However, some of the details are too keen to be purely fiction…fierce scaly beasts with large wings that could create gale force winds. And that most usually breathed fire, some of them lightning, others acid - which I imagine would be the most frightening. Some of the stories I read mention them shrieking, but perhaps that’s my imagination getting the best of me…” Leo admitted with an awkward smile.
“I suppose it is, especially if they died out long before the Cataclysm.” Ryo said, a bit relieved that the Dragons had all died out once before.
“Still, it would be quite fascinating to study a real Dragon! I wonder if they are truly carnivorous or if they are omnivores like some predators…” Leo went on to explain his interests in the Dragons, but Ryo tuned most of it out. Instead of listening, Ryo stared out to the horizon; observing the grey skies of the twilight hour, the faded images of mountains in the mist beyond, and the gaping ravine below the narrow cliff paths they walked upon. Ryo didn’t really think much of the Dragons, but if they were around, he knew that he had to protect Kaira from them.
Beyond Ryo and Leo, Caza walked behind Janon and Steel, keeping an equal distance from the company ahead and his friends behind him. He remained utterly silent, even his steady footsteps failed to make a sound, as his golden eyes cautiously scanned the scenery. Although, he was unsure of what he should be looking for, he knew better than to drop his guard. Caza held his chakrams firmly in his hand, the tenseness in his stance showed he was on edge, waiting for anything to happen.
All was calm and at the moment, nothing seemed unusual. Without warning Steel had taken two steps and leaped forward, away from the rest of the group. As he leapt, a large scaly figure violently erupted through the trees from the mountainside, snapping its jowls shut as it passed where Steel was once standing. Debris flew through the air passively from the sudden movement, and everyone who had been behind Steel stared.
The beast had a head larger than any man and a jaw line sharp with protruding scales and barbs ran down the center line of its head down the creature’s long neck. The one eye turned towards Ryo and the others was a depended red, dark as blood.
The moment seemed infinite and unreal, as the dragon slunk out from its hiding spot, revealing more of itself in the dusty sunlight. The creature was primarily crimson with a lighter underbelly hidden by wings that worked as forelegs on the ground. The body was elongated and slender but built with muscles that flexed visibly under the rough scaly skin. The barbs from the head went all the way to the tail, which was sleek and spotless save for longer scales that worked off the end.
Everyone stared for a minute, almost afraid, save for Caza and Kyo. As soon as the dragon had moved, Kyo had taken Kaira’s hand and moved swiftly away, past the others to the back of the group. Kaira offered no resistance to Kyo’s leading, but stared at the dragon with awe and fear. Taj had followed when he noticed Kaira gone, but still he gazed at the dragon.
The beast turned from Steel to the larger group and bared unblemished fangs. A deep churning groan emitted from the dragon’s chest, and Ryo thought he could feel the vibrations in the air. With the groan came common sense, and the rest began to move, quickly, away from the dragon.
Caza threw his chakrams as soon as he could see the red of the dragon’s scales, aiming for the head of the large mythical beast. The chakrams cut threw the air at high speeds, grating the scales they collided against as they started to return to his hands. The dragon seemed unaffected by Caza’s preemptive strike and let out a thunderous shrieking roar.
Steel stood behind the dragon with an uncaring look in his eyes, and moved to the cover of trees with the dragons back turned. “I must see how this plays out…” Steel said to himself as the others prepared for battle.
Caza’s face, though stoic, changed minutely in expression. “That attack did nothing…” he grumbled monotonously.
Without pause the dragon turned in place, swinging its long tail through the group. It struck no one, but tore through the ground and threw rock. Shaken by the attack, the group had scattered, going in separate directions around the dragon. The beast roared again, tossing its tail again, slamming it here and there in unbridled fury.
When it stopped, the dragon threw its head back, as smoke started to billow from its mouth and nostrils, and as it leaned forward, a large fireball blasted from its mouth and quickly approached the rest of the party. Janon, being the most forward of the group, quickly summoned a giant wall of ice. Upon collision, the ice wall immediately exploded and large ice shards that hadn’t vaporized on impact had scattered and shot out in all directions. Kalon, Dimi, Kyo, and Ken quickly dodged out of the way of the incoming debris.
Leo ran forward and started throwing dagger at the creature, aiming for the eyes and nearly hitting them, only just missing them or scraping just along the side as the dragon thrashed its head around. As Leo ran closer to its tail, the dragon moved around and blew a trail of fire behind him, attempting to catch Leo in its attack, but failing.
After spitting the trail of fire at Leo, a large boulder smashed against the dragon’s face, nearly throwing it off balance. As the dragon threw its head back to the rest of the party, Kalon had already closed the gap between him and the dragon and manipulated a rising column of Earth beneath his feet to catapult him forward towards the dragon. As the dragon began to ready another fire blast, Kalon cocked back his fist and with the force of raging earth, landed a strong haymaker against the dragon’s face with the power of an earthquake. The impact threw the dragon off balance and its face jerked away terribly.
When Kalon’s fist collided, the force of his attack and the dragon’s head movement launched him upwards. As he floated through the air with a smirk of satisfaction across his face, a torrent of water engulfed him and threw his body against the side of the mountain. All eyes trailed the Water back to Dimi.
Dimi’s expression was filled with shock and fear. “Oh my God!” he yelled. “Kalon, are you okay?!”
Kalon fell to the ground with a loud thud, other than being soaking wet, cold, and a bit scuffed up from the throw, he seemed more infuriated than injured.
“What the hell, Dimi?! Why’d you do that!?” Kalon seemed to forget the dragon for an instant to yell at the Water User.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to punch it in the face! I don’t know if you noticed, Kalon, it’s a God-damned Dragon!” Dimi said quickly, as he took his attention away from Kalon and back to the dragon. Upon refocusing, Dimi immediately started running away from the creature and towards the back of the group, screaming. Caza covered Dimi’s escape by throwing his chakrams at the dragon again, though in the same manner as before, the chakrams did no damage.
Ryo dashed forward with Eliazar’s blade in hand, and with the power of the Wind element, had flown above the dragon and landed on the tossing creature’s back. He lifted the blade high above him and stabbed downward into the creature between the creases of its scales. He felt a small fleeting satisfaction upon the successful penetration, until the dragon lurched to a stand on its hind legs, flinging Ryo and his blade off the beast. Before he collided with the mountain, Ryo summoned a torrent of Wind, setting himself upright and falling lightly back to the ground.
Taj stood firmly in front of Kaira as if trying to shield her. “Don’t worry Kaira, I’ll protect you…” He said with false confidence. You idiot. Taj thought to himself. It’s a damned dragon, I can’t believe I’m trying to threaten it with this. My sword’s a damned toothpick to this thing…
Ken was lobbing large boulders at the beast from the side, offering some long ranged offense as Janon shot ice arrows that had miniscule effect against the beast. The daggers Leo threw didn’t affect the creature other than being a nuisance. Caza’s chakrams also kept the beast on edge, as Jim and Kalon kept trying to get into melee distance and attempt to cause substantial damage to it, but couldn’t.
Kyo had finally stepped up along side of Taj, slightly nudging Taj out of the way, and standing in front of Kaira. Kyo had withdrawn his emerald sword from his sheathe and held it outwards with his right hand. Kyo’s red eyes were solely focused on the dragon with a sullen ferocity that Taj could not describe. “Stand aside.” Kyo demanded, not even bothering to look at Taj.
Taj was defiant and remained where he stood. “No, I’m going to protect her!” Taj growled back at Kyo, stubborn to maintain the image of bravery.
Kyo’s eyes darted over to Taj and gave him a look that petrified Taj down to his soul. “I will not say it again, Taj. If you value her life and yours, you will stand aside. I’m going to draw the dragon to attack me and if you get in my way, all three of us will perish. Now stand aside!”
Taj fell silent and instead of being the hero, as he so desperately attempted to maintain that image, he was now swiftly cast as a risk to their lives. Without a word or whimper, Taj had reluctantly slinked away from Kyo and Kaira. “Fine, but I’m only doing this for her. I don’t give a damn about our safety.” Taj spat after leaving his position.
“Likewise…” Kyo muttered before holding his sword in a forefront position, aimed towards the dragon.
Kaira stood in silence, watching Kyo walk towards the dragon with an eerie calmness to him and seeing Taj back away as he did worried her as well.
Kyo raised his sword into the air and summoned a giant vortex of rapidly spiraling water that had gathered around his blade, which grew in height and girth as Kyo focused his energy. The clouds in the sky seemed to have shifted with the moisture that Kyo had summoned and started to get drawn towards his location, as if stealing the moisture from the clouds for his own attack.
The dragon noticed the change in the air and quickly disregarded the minor distractions around it. The rest of the party had stopped their actions when the dragon took its attention away from them, and their eyes followed to see where the dragon’s attention was fixated. The party had fallen silent and the dragon roared in anger at the approach of this powerful enemy. The dragon gave a deep inhalation of air, as smoke began to billow from its nostrils, before releasing an enormous stream of Fire at Kyo.
With a simple motion of his sword, the vortex became a deafening torrent that flooded towards the incoming stream of fire, dousing it within an instant of contact and easily vanquishing the dragon’s flamethrower attack. The current of water had overpowered the fire breath so rapidly, that the dragon choked on the force of the torrent that had flooded its mouth.
The dragon shook its head in fury, turning its outraged gaze upon Kyo. It opened his mouth and attempted to shoot more flames, but nothing came out, only steam. Angered further, the dragon then charged Kyo with an open mouth to devour him. Kyo had not moved and his eyes of placid silver stared unflinchingly at the Dragon. A second vortex of Water was summoned to his sword, but something was strangely different about this attack.
From where he was, hiding Kaira behind him, Taj felt a pitiful pain in his pride.
The spiraling torrent of Water was also aglow with luminous sparks of Lighting, shooting out of the water and illuminating it in a radiant light that crackled.
Kyo can use Water and Lightning?! Ken thought to himself in astonishment.
When the Dragon was close enough, Kyo shot the electrical water current forward, rounding it’s path into the dragon’s mouth. Out of instinct, the Dragon closed its jaws with the Water. Kyo grinned at this. The Water still under his command, he sent it through the Dragon’s head and nose, down its throat to its tender belly, before releasing the Lightning from the Water and electrocuting it upon ingestion from the inside. The red Dragon gave a drowning roar, tossing it’s head and torso wildly about. Within mere moments, the charging dragon plummeted to the ground and slid towards Kyo. A large cloud of dust kicked up from the sliding corpse of the beast that blocked all sight of its body, but the cloud stopped only a few feet before Kyo. With the dragon slain, Kyo silently sheathed his blade. It was the only sound for several unreal moments. Then everyone moved at once, abuzz with excitement at the dead dragon.
Kyo turned his attention to Kaira. “Are you hurt?” He asked gently.
Kaira‘s light blue eyes were still wide with fear, but also mixed in was the glint of excitement. At Kyo’s question she blushed and hid half of her face, but remained facing Kyo while glancing sideways at the dragon. All of this was so new to her, she had a hard time reacting.
“No, I’m fine, really…” She spoke softly and shook her head. “…I wasn’t expecting to actually see a dragon here like this…”
Taj stood back in shame and helplessness. He can use more than one Element? How am I supposed to compete with him?! He just killed a dragon when most of the other members could barely scratch its scales…With the fear and shock of the dragon’s presence dulled Taj had become terribly frustrated.
“Did you guys see that?!” Dimi yelled at the top of his lungs and looking around frantically, as if nobody else had really seen Kyo kill the Dragon. Anyone who bothered acknowledging Dimi had given him a confirming nod before setting their eyes back on Kyo.
The party had slowly gathered around Kyo in silence, each member ready to speak to him or ask a question. Janon grimaced way at the fact that he could not slay the dragon, but this mysterious stranger did so without too much trouble. Even Caza looked impressed by Kyo’s power and any noticeable expression in Caza’s face was something unusual.
Davis was the first one to make it to him. “Water and Lightning! Kyo, how many Elements can you actually use?”
Kyo took a breath, as if trying to think of the right words.
“I’ve been able to use all six Elements for some time. Water was the first I had learned how to manipulate. Then from there, I found I could use six. The last element I learned how to use was Fire, if only because I grew up in the forest…”
Ryo had fallen to the back of the group again, furthest from Kyo. The fact that Kyo was so open about his ability to use multiple Elements slightly stunned him, for Ryo had remained silent about his ability for many years. Not even Dimi, Kalon, and Caza knew about that Ryo was able to use the other Elements, outside of Fire. A secret that Ryo kept for many years to avoid exploitation from the military or unease in the ranks, or that’s what Leo suggested that he do a long time ago. On occasion Ryo found find some User who could use two Elements rather than one, but when such a person was found more often than not they were incompetent with both Elements and could never learn to fully control themselves. In the end, the common understanding was that people were simply not able to use more than one.
Seeing Kyo now made Ryo uneasy, more so than before. He thought hurriedly, He may very well be Gennosuke and Oboro’s son. But what has he been doing up here?
Steel had silently walked behind everyone else and gave a small clap as he neared. All became quieter as he got closer and closer.
“Well done, Stranger, well done…” He spoke slowly and each word held venom, even though he was complimenting Kyo’s effort. “I don’t believe I could have done any better myself.”
“I didn’t expect to receive such a compliment from you.” Kyo said calmly. His nonchalant attitude irked Ryo from his thoughts.
“And a Fire Dragon at that…” Steel commented and went to the beast’s lifeless head. He kicked the teeth with his boot, enough to slightly move the creature before letting it rest again. “You knew what you were doing. So you weren’t putting up false pretences when you said you slew the occasional dragon?”
“No, I was not. I try to make it a habit not to tell petty lies.”
“You are indeed a man of your word, I insist that you come to Camaria with us now.”
“And what if I was disinterested in going?”
“Don’t be difficult, boy, or you’ll find me much harder to deal with than a dragon.” Steel said with a wicked intent. His metal arm had shifted into a blade within an instant. “Believe me, this arm of mine can also transform into a weapon more devastating than a sword as well. Defy me and I will be more than willing to use it on you…although, there may not be much of a warrior left when I’m done.”
Steel words lingered, but had no visible effect on Kyo. His eyes, now a golden brown color, were unwavering.
“You’ve no fear, I never said I intended to leave. Not yet at least.”
“Good.” Steel’s voice was like poison and Ryo felt a guilty relief from Steel’s attention going somewhere not him. But when Steel began the move again he strode casually by Ryo, stopping for a moment to murmur. “It seems you are not so special after all, Demon. He may not be an Angel, but he is not entirely human either. Perhaps he is able to close a Gate.”
“Gate?” Ryo asked, but Steel was already passed him, heading further up the mountain.
No one followed Steel yet. Instead, everyone with the exception of Janon and Ryo had circled the dead dragon, poking at its corpse and exclaiming among themselves. Ryo watched Kaira in particular. The young Hollow princess had sadness in her eyes as she felt the nose of the dragon with one hand and let it slide away. For the first time Ryo considered shielding her from the sight, but let uselessness shun the idea away. Kaira had already seen everything there was to see about the dead dragon.
“It’s sad…” Kaira mentioned to Davis, who was nearest to her. “It was beautiful, really. If only he was friendly…”
“She were friendly. I‘m pretty sure this isn‘t a bull.” Ken spoke up from the other side of the beast he had climbed until he was standing on the spine of the dragon, overlooking the whole mess. He ignored Dimi, who was at the head of the dragon, posing like a hero for those who would look.
“How can you tell?” Kaira asked, sad but ever-innocent.
“Don’t.” Davis warned before Ken could speak. The Earth User made a mild face before jumping down.
“I’m just saying. It’s a dragoness. Kyo’s looking into it.” Ken nodded towards Kyo. The stranger to the group had meandered through the rubble left by the dragon’s attack, always circling back towards the cliff wall where it had first emerged. His eyes, now indigo, scanned the large tracks left in the snowy dirt. Interested herself, Kaira followed him with Taj, Davis, Jim and Ken.
“She was protective of this area in particular. She circled back here several times, though she fought to drive us off,” Kyo spoke to no one in particular when they neared. He pointed to a small cavern in the cliff wall and some of the circling carved marks that seemed to have made it. “It seems she had been residing here for some time. The trees from earlier hid them.”
“I thought you said dragons don’t live this far south,” said Ken.
“They don‘t, normally…”
Kaira wandered closer to the crag in the rock, nearly losing her footing once or twice. Kyo followed her, catching her hand when she slipped to Taj’s irritation. She remained focused on the ground, looking amongst the rubble the best she could despite her small figure. Kyo and Taj watched her. Kaira made a sudden gasp that had startled Taj for a moment.
“What? What is it?” Taj quickly spoke.
Kaira stooped down and brushed aside some rubble, then picked up a large white egg that had covered a portion of her chest. “I found an egg!” She said with rising excitement welling in her voice, but before long that happiness waned into sorrow, remembering the death of its mother. “But its mom is dead…can we take it with us?”
“There has been many mythos about dragons and humans coinciding together once, ages before the Cataclysm. Perhaps, this would be a rare opportunity to put that myth to the test.” Kyo spoke from the back of the crowd.
“Where the hell did you hear that?!” Taj demanded, trying his damnedest to belittle Kyo’s knowledge.
“I’ve read books when I was a child. I’m not a complete savage, I didn’t always live in the forest. Those were some of the few memories I have in tact.” Kyo spoke bluntly and Taj had fallen silent.
“If we leave the egg here, it will surely die…” Davis spoke aloud to himself, noticing that Kaira had heard him and his comment had upset her. Davis stumbled to speak again to fix his mistake. “This would give us a chance to study and understand dragons, maybe even domesticate them or have it be the symbol of Hollow. So, Kaira, as long as you are willing to take care of it, I cannot think of a reason we should leave it behind.”
“How about if it grows big and tries to kill us all?!” Jim shouted thoughtlessly out of nowhere. Davis shot him a quick look to be quiet, but what was said had already been said.
“I think if given the proper training, that will not be an issue. As long as the natural rage and vicious carnivorous nature of a creature is sated, then it will have no reason to turn against the hand that feeds it. However, that does not mean that the threat is nonexistent…” Kyo turned to Kaira and looked into her gentle eyes. “Kaira, are you willing to accept this responsibility for this creature’s life?”
Without hesitation, Kaira gave a fast nod. “Yes! I am more than willing to love and nurture it.”
“Then it is done, let’s leave this gloomy cavern and carry on. I believe that making Steel wait is not exactly the wisest course of action.”
Everyone followed, including the reluctant Taj, who did not want to abide by anything that Kyo said. Even if what Kyo uttered was sound and close to Taj’s own thoughts. The idea of listening to Kyo left a bad taste in his mouth and he complained to himself and anyone who heard him.
“Who the hell does he think he is? Showing up out of the blue, putting his hands on Kaira when he‘s barely joined us for a day, and now he’s giving us orders! Damn it all, if I could, I’d fix him…”
“But you can’t, can you?” Ken spat back at him. “You’ve been whining since he annihilated you like the novice you are and he’s been giving us sane advice after joining us. What have you done other than complain? Name one thing that you‘ve actually contributed.”
“Shut it, Ken!” Taj let some of his built-up frustration show. To his dismay, Ken wasn’t phased at all. Ken waited for Taj to say more, and as much as Taj wanted to, nothing came, and he was left speechless.
“You can’t even come up with a good excuse for yourself. The least you could do is make one up. At least your father tried attacking the dragon head-on before running away. You just stood in front of Kaira after Kyo lead her away. You’re pathetic, and you’re just another mouth to feed.”
More vexed than before Taj opened his mouth to argue, only forming soundless words. Ken scoffed in disgust and walked on ahead with the others. Taj followed, more slowly than before, swearing at himself under his breath that Ken was partially right.
Kaira hadn’t even noticed that he had fallen behind with her new treasure. She found Ryo waiting for her, and he eyed the white egg with an untrusting eye.
“What is that?” he asked lowly.
“An egg!” Kaira held it out for Ryo to see better. “I found it, and Davis said I can keep it!”
“A dragon’s egg?” A tide of objections hit Ryo at once, and he wanted to tell her immediately to throw it away. The one image that repeated itself was an image of a small red dragon exploding with Fire and engulfing Kaira with it.
“It’ll be a nice dragon. Kyo and Davis will help me,” Kaira insisted with a sweet smile. When Ryo’s expression did not change, her light blue eyes grew unbearably worried. “…you don’t want me to have it…?”
“No…you can keep it…” Ryo buckled under the pressure of her eyes. It paid off when Kaira grew instantly happier and held the egg close before tucking it under her coat and carried against her chest. Going into the mountains word quickly spread amongst the group that Kaira had found a lone dragon’s egg and was planning to keep it. Kaira showed it to everyone several times, beaming with pride at her bundle. More than once Dimi tried coaxing Kaira into a trade, but Kaira kindly refused every time.
“What on earth will she do with a dragon of all things?” Janon commented once with Ryo near. “She can have as many horses and little donkeys as she wants back in Hollow, but why a dragon…!”
“She can have whatever she wants,” Ryo replied with a quiet resentment. He decided right then that he would do whatever it took to let Kaira keep the dragon for herself.

The party had traveled onward for some time, deeper within the mountains where the snow was plentiful and falling from the sky. A couple of the members who could not handle the cold well were showing all the signs and those who were unaffected before had finally begun to feel winter’s embrace. The snow was deep where they walked and was up to most of the party’s knees. Among the cold, Taj was the worst off, with a runny nose that he kept trying to hide whenever Kaira looked his way.
“Taj, are you all right?” Kaira asked gently when Steel finally stopped them for the night.
“What, this?” Taj responded, looking up into the sky. “This is nothing. I’m fine, Kaira. Are you doing okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine…but you’re starting to worry me. I know you don’t like the cold, Taj, and you’re starting to look sick. Answer me honestly, are you sure you are all right?”
A long awkward moment of silence passed between them as a harsh wind blew that sent chills down Taj’s spine. The wind was relentless, and never stopped once since entering the higher portion of the mountains. Unwilling to show weakness, Taj responded through the cold. “I’ll be okay, Kaira. I may not be tough, but I’ll get by,” he finally admitted. One this happened, Kaira moved away again to be near Kyo around a fire Davis was making. Taj was left standing alone, trying to decide on a fire to sit near when Janon strode by.
“Look at you. You’re a mess.” The Ice User sneered at Taj and took a handkerchief from his coat pocket. He tossed it limply into Taj’s hands. “Take this, and clean yourself up. I’ll not have my pupil appearing so undignified, even in such isolated places like this.”
Not wanting to be disrespectful, Taj held the cloth until Janon walked away before putting it away in his own jacket. Before Taj was finished, Davis was standing with him watching Janon leave.
“Did Janon show you a kindness? Didn‘t know he had a kind bone in his body.” Davis was openly surprised.
The rest of the night was spent in groups huddled against the rock wall along the path with Fires being produced by Leo, Ryo and Davis. Steel had disappeared again, leaving everyone alone for the evening. There was less talking than the previous nights with a freezing wind cutting through the makeshift camp. When put to an unfair vote, everyone who wasn’t a Fire User voted that the Fire Users remain awake throughout the night to keep a fire going. But as Ryo sat awake with a fire blazing before him, he saw no one really slept, but huddled against the rocks for shelter from the wind and kept their eyes closed. Again Ryo saw Janon motion for Taj to go with him and the two disappeared over the next ridge and did not return until an hour before dawn when the winds were finally starting to die down.
Through the night Ryo watched Kaira sleep restlessly in the cold. She sat upright with Kyo and Davis on each side, propping her upright and bracing her against the chilling wind.

Description
The Southern Razada Range
Chapter 22

There was a moment of where others wondered why Steel was ready to stop at the base of the mountains, but everything became clear once the sun had began to fall behind them. As soon as sun had set, the chill of night came as swiftly as the darkness. Few were not bothered by the cold, but most could not stand it.
Taj was one of the first people to start shivering from the bite of the frigid wind. He wrapped the scarf tighter around his neck and brought it up to cover his nose. Davis and Leo began to make a fire in order to keep warm, but they were also the most visibly bothered by the incoming chill. Even warming the air around themselves, the Fire Users were uneasy.
To Taj’s dismay, Ken was unaffected by the cold, as was Kalon. Caza put on a heavier leather jacket when they stopped and sported a stylish fedora. To everyone’s surprise, Dimi had been responsible enough to bring his own coat, but still complained about the cold. Steel was impervious to the temperature, but kept his cloak around his metal arm with extra caution. Every few minutes Ryo saw him touch the metal with his good arm and summon a small Fire along the length of his arm.
“The metal will give him frostbite if he’s not careful,” Leo explained to Ryo quietly and out of Steel’s hearing. Ryo murmured something to himself about letting the arm freeze up.
Kyo offered his cloak to Kaira, who refused with a sweet smile and instead took the spare jacket Ryo had brought. The offer made Ryo keep an even closer eye on the young man he thought to be from Weane.
The gesture also attracted Taj’s jealous attention. Cold though he was, the Water User removed his precious scarf and held it out to Kaira.
“Please wear it,” Taj prompted.
“Are you sure?” Kaira was concerned.
“Yeah…”
Kaira accepted the scarf, but was not entirely convinced that Taj was warm without it. He shook his head and repeatedly told her that he was warm enough without it, but when her back was turned Taj continuously shivered uncontrollably. With the scarf gone, Taj got enough courage to shoot snobby look at Kyo. Who paid him no heed.
Taj watched over Kaira proudly for a while, but the cold slowly started to get the best of him. Taj’s complexion started to ashen and become tinged with blue, his nose began to run a little bit at a time and continuously got worse, his lips started to turn purple, and his teeth were chattering violently. It was not long before Taj’s pride vanished and he attempted to make himself comfortable by Davis’ fire. The warmth of the flames did not do much for Taj’s body, only somewhat immediately warming his hands and his feet. He was reluctant to put his face anywhere near the fire.
“I almost feel sorry for him…” Kyo mentioned to Ken. “The stubborn fool would sooner freeze to death than admit weakness to her.”
“Don’t be…the sooner he learns to swallow his pride around her, the better. Just because she’s his friend, he runs around with some sort of stupid complex like he’s better than everyone else. But there’s not an ounce of fight in him. If you get closer to her a bit, cuddle up with her to offer a body heat alternative and that’ll shoot him down.”
“Offer her my body heat? I do not believe I am well enough acquainted with her to offer such a thing.” Kyo mentioned, somewhat uncomfortable with the idea. “There is the protocol of formality, chivalry, and personal space…”
“Trust me, Kyo. I don’t think she’ll refuse…” Ken said without a trace of doubt in his voice. He motioned with his head for Kyo to observe Kaira as she sat by the fire. She huddled close for warmth, trying to cozy up, while occasionally glancing up at Kyo and once their eyes locked, quickly looking back down with a blush.
“How certain are you that she will be accepting? Also, I do not wish to anger anyone else by being so hasty…”
“Her cousin Davis and Uncle Leo will be uncomfortable with a stranger warming her up, but it‘s not like they‘ll try stopping you. I can’t make any promises about her father…”
“Her father is here? Which is he?”
“If I didn’t trust you already, I would tell you Janon.” Ken glanced around. “However, that man over there is her father. His name is Ryo…”
“Ryo? Strange…I feel as if I’ve heard that name before…” Kyo half-muttered to himself. He looked where Ken had gestured and saw Ryo, but his back was turned. Even then, it stirred nothing more than a familiar sense.
“Did you figure out if you’re going to kick Taj off his high horse?” Ken went back on the previous subject. “Come on, it‘ll be funny!”
Taj shot them with a dirty look. He heard his name mentioned, but was unaware of anything else the two had said. He shook his head and turned back to the fire, ignoring the two.
“I wonder why they’re so chummy already…” Taj mentioned to Jim. “You would never have guessed they were fighting each other at one point…”
“I think it’s because they have respect for each other,” Jim mentioned.
“Shut up, Jim…”
Davis put down the book he had been reading. “Jim is right, Taj. Fighting honorably brings respect even from the most powerful opponents, that cheap shot you tried with your Water Element might have cost you a possible friend. And please don’t take this the wrong way, you don’t have many of them.”
“What are you talking about? you’re my friend. Right Davis?”
“Tell me when was the last time we had a meaningful conversation about anything, or what was the last meal we ate together in Hollow, or even what my birthday is.”
“Are you saying we’re not friends?” Taj asked, somewhat hurt by the idea.
“You spend all your time fawning over my cousin, when was the last time we even hung out together? All I’m saying is, even if we were friends, you treat me more like a close acquaintance and only to get closer to Kaira.”
“I’m not that bad, am I?”
“Yes, you are.” Jim answered bluntly.
“Jim, am I your friend?”
“You tell me to shut up all the time. So, no…and it’s because you’re an ass.”
Defeated and downtrodden, Taj hung his head for the rest of the evening, only bothering to talk to Davis and Jim. He watched sorely as Kaira joined Ken and Kyo, sitting closer to Kyo than Ken by their fire. When Kyo offered her a portion of his cloak to share Taj was forced to turn away and remain staring at the fire before him for the rest of the night.
At his own fire with the older members of the party, Ryo stared at Kyo irritably, but never said anything either, though he wanted to call Kaira away from the young man. Even with his back turned, Ryo felt that Kyo was still somehow watching him. He recalled how when Kyo was still only a child in Weane, he somehow always knew what Ryo was doing, and it always bothered Ryo. It had to have been eleven years ago. Ryo literally remembered the night Kyo was born, if this was even the same Kyo. How could so many years have already passed? Thinking about it, he didn’t feel any older.
That night Steel wandered off from the group. Janon was gone as well, but no one seemed to notice or care. With only those two gone, the group relaxed a little easier, even in the shadow of the cold mountain.
“It’s so cold…and we’re not even at the snowy parts yet! Could you guys have been born ANY farther away from Hollow?” Dimi complained loudly to Leo and Ryo.
“Technically, you were born in Camaria too, Dimi,” Leo pointed out.
“So? I don’t remember any of it! Especially not this cold!”
“I’d kill my grandmother for a drink,” Kalon grumbled. Being away from alcohol for over a day had made him more irritable than usual. As always, Caza was silent with an expressionless face.
“Does it always snow where you’re from?” Dimi asked, ignoring Kalon for a change.
“Of course not. We had distinct seasons in the valley, and it was warm in the summer,” Leo explained.
“Did stuff grow, or was it like the desert?” Kalon asked, lighting a cigarette.
“There were trees and grass, yes.”
“So how come you never told any of us you two were from this place? It couldn’t have been that bad if you didn’t have to scrounge around for food or anything.”
I did have to scrounge around for food… Ryo shifted and tried to nonchalantly stare off into the darkness as if he wasn’t paying any attention to what was being said. Their voices began to blur out as Ryo watched his daughter with Kyo. Even though Ryo didn’t trust him, Kyo kept the cloak sharing as what it was and left it innocent. Kaira was speaking mostly to Kyo when she spoke, and she spoke often in an excited tone, telling him about the life she had in Hollow and other childhood stories. Ryo was somewhat relieved that there wasn’t the story of her first kiss among them, but at the same time feared Kyo would take that role. Kaira was still his little girl and Ryo wouldn’t allow her to be with any man out of fatherly protection. A part of him knew that this would not be the case, but he was determined to keep her pure and innocent from man as long as possible.
Kyo showed active interest in her stories and he acknowledged comments made by Davis and Taj for when they were there. Taj usually responded more bitterly towards Kyo in his comments, as some of the stories were partially him cowering to Ken or how Kaira had helped him. Davis occasionally cleared up any minor mix-ups in Kaira’s stories when he was present within them, like the book he was reading the day of Ken punching Taj’s tooth out and clearing up the reason why Ken punched Taj to begin with.
And as intently as Kyo listened, so did Ryo. He felt as if he were learning about some of his daughter’s life. All those many years that he had lost to separation and exile, it was painful for Ryo to think about and even more so when he realized that listening to her stories was the only way he had any insight of her life up until this point. A steady frown made its way across Ryo’s countenance.
“My butt hurts from the ground being so cold and hard. Kalon! Make the ground under my butt softer! And Leo, warm up the spot when he’s done.” Dimi’s loud voice echoed and he even managed to catch Ryo’s attention again.
“You can suck an egg.” Kalon grumbled angrily as he turned his back to Dimi.
“Could you at least say please?” Leo asked him.
“Please warm my cold ass.” Dimi replied.
Leo disregarded Dimi’s request and focused on keeping the fire in front of the party alive longer. The fire could only burn without a fuel source under the control of a User, and if a fire without a fuel source was left unattended, the fire would die quickly. The party eventually fell into an uncomfortable silence, all gazing into the dancing flames before them, some wondering what lies ahead of them beyond the mountain range. Ryo and Leo wondered more about Camaria, what sort of place it could be, and if they would come back alive from this mission.
In the distance, off the prominent mountain path on a steep trail that ascended higher onto a lonely cliff top, Janon stood by his lonesome watching over the others in judgmental scorn. Janon scoffed to the winds and muttered curses upon most of the others, the only one he held nothing against or for was Caza, even still he despised him by association. His uncaring eyes scanned over the younger group. He held each individual in his cold gaze, judging their worth and how they could be used.
Very quickly, Janon had disregarded Jim as a childish fool, naivety serves no purpose to him. Davis was a mirror of his father in virtue: intelligent, responsible, caring, always thinking. Janon saw people like them as dangerous, their freethinking would bring the deaths of corrupt government and snakes in disguise. Ken was similar to his father in some regards, quick-tempered and somewhat crude, but unlike Kalon, there was a working genius in him. Janon believed that he was just as dangerous to him as Davis, if not more so. Kyo was unreadable, a mysterious stranger with no identifiable origins. Other than his honor in battle and an impeccably strong fighting skill, nothing else was known about him. Janon found him the most unsettling of all.
Taj was the last Janon observed and as initially thought, could serve him faithfully. The young Water User was plagued with doubt, low self-esteem, and had strong hatred buried within him. Along with his faults, there was also his undying desperation for Kaira, Janon was certain that Taj would be very easy to manipulate. Janon also noticed that there was an untapped potential trapped within Taj, one that would not be unlocked so easily with the disbelief that he burdened himself with.
“Look at him coveting my daughter…” Janon said to himself, his voice hidden by the moaning wind. “We are so very much alike in some ways. Our hatred makes us strong, young one. That envy you carry, you will turn it into strength. Jealousy and scorn will be your true weapons. In time, you will see…”
“Do you talk to yourself a lot?” A voice called out behind Janon.
“Who’s there?!” Janon tensed up, spinning on his heel into a fencer’s stance with his rapier drawn.
“Your scars I gave you are coming along nicely. How many compliments do you get on them?” Ryo asked and tried not to laugh while speaking. He could see the embarrassment work its way into Janon’s posture.
Without a word, Janon had sheathed his weapon and turned his back to Ryo. His fists were clinched in ire, his knuckles were whitening from the force. Janon slowly calmed himself before finally working up the nerve to speak. “Why have you come here?”
“I don’t trust you and I never will.”
“An already well established fact, Demon. Why have you come here?!” Janon shouted, losing his patience.
“I came looking for you because I didn’t see where you wandered off to. I’m just making sure you don’t have your bow ready to shoot somebody.” Ryo said calmly.
“That’s not a half bad idea, I only wish I had thought of that before you visited.” Janon said with forced lamentation.
“Whatever.” Ryo muttered and started to walk away. “I’m guessing you’ll be staying up here by yourself.”
“Sooner or later, an Angel realizes that he is better off alone. Some recognize this sooner than others. Since I’ve no control over you, I wish to be left in solitude.” Janon said, looking over the horizon. Touching the burned side of his face where he now wore the porcelain mask that concealed his scars.
“What?” Ryo asked.
“Don’t concern yourself with my thinking. Just be gone.”
Ryo stood behind Janon, dumbfounded by his cryptic speech. He choose to ignore it. Without another word, Ryo obeyed what Janon said and left the cliff top. Down the trail, where the remains of dead bushes stood, Ryo cautiously descended back to the others.
A sudden gust of wind from the mountains rushed through the trees and almost knocked Ryo off balance. As quickly as it had come the wind was gone and the base of the mountain was silent. For a while after that Ryo stared off into the darkness but nothing dangerous or remarkable happened. A little more confused than before, Ryo kept going.
A loud noise screeched and echoed through the night from further ahead. Ryo froze in place looking to the large mountains and the winding path. The sound resonated off the mountains and was untraceable. Ryo heard the groups shifting, some of the others muttering, and Dimi shouting a loud “what the hell was that?!” Leo and Davis quickly tried calming the groups down, assuring them that there was nothing to be worried about. Kyo’s green eyes studied the mountains with a deep intensity, his eyes seemed certain and he kept one hand on the hilt of his sword.
When heading back to the group, Ryo passed Caza, walking in the opposite direction away from the group. His chakrams were in his hands, ready. “What are you doing?” Ryo asked him.
“I’m going to keep watch.” Caza said without giving Ryo a second glance or slowing his pace. “Leo and Davis told everyone that it was just the wind blowing through a cave in the mountain somewhere…but I control the wind and that was not it.”
Ryo didn’t stop Caza from venturing onward, no one could once he made up his mind like that. Ryo sat back down by Leo, as Dimi kept rambling on to Kalon about what that noise might have been. Ryo looked at Leo and spoke in a hushed whisper, “Do you really think that sound was just the wind?”
“Of course not, but panic will do none of us any good.” Leo was unrealistically calm. “Most of us are cold and the mountains are dark, even if something were out there, we would be lashing out at resonations. Caza volunteered to keep watch, so we should be safe. Honestly, I don’t think there is anyone else more vigilant than him…we couldn’t be in better hands.” Leo spoke quietly, making sure that only Ryo heard him and more importantly that Dimi didn’t.
“You don’t really think there are dragons out here?”
“Steel said dragons do not come this far south often. But there could be dragons here from time to time. Even Kyo said he’s killed dragons before.”
Nothing more needed to be said after that.
Ryo watched the forest and began to lie down. Ryo felt uneasy when he noticed that Kaira was falling asleep on Kyo’s shoulder, but he let it go. She looked warm and was smiling. Kyo carefully undid his cloak and wrapped it around her, letting the wolf-fur act as a pillow when he laid her down. Kyo seemed to resist the cold well enough in just his trench coat, he sat nearby her and attempted to fall asleep with his sword in hand. But always Kyo stared around, as if expecting something the others did not, and Ryo noted this. The others fell asleep near where they had sat, close to the fire. Finally giving in, Ryo felt himself starting to drift away into slumber, even though he wasn’t tired.

And in the darkness of night, Janon stood with his bow in his hand, glancing over the sleeping group. With the flick of his wrist, particles of ice came together to form a single frost arrow that slid into his hand. He drew back his bow, holding the arrow firmly in place for several moments, and aimed carefully at his target. Satisfied, with a simple motion, the arrow was shot and collided almost silently in front of the sleeping Taj’s face. The noise was only enough to force the Water User awake and then turn his attention on Janon. Janon slowly made a gesture with his finger that demanded Taj to follow.
Taj nodded in acknowledgement and quietly gathered his bearings before venturing out to Janon’s cliff top, doing his best to disturb no one, especially Ken.
“You did well, Young Blood.” Janon’s voice was dark and hushed.
“Young Blood?” Taj said to himself in a low voice, not catching Janon’s attention.
“You have successfully made it to me without awakening anyone around you…I take that as another sign that you are deserving of my training. If you can sneak like this, then taking a life in the dark will come easily. We‘re off to a daring start.”
“I never said anything about killing anybody…” Taj stated boldly, before falling into a quick and awkward silence. Almost biting his tongue as punishment for speaking against the only other person, besides Kaira, who treated him differently than the rest.
Janon stared at Taj in silence before cocking his eyebrow up. “Oh, is that so?” Janon sounded unconvinced and mocked. “I’m sure many honor-infested warriors have made that vow, only to break them soon after coming into their career. You can do it as admirably as you like, but for opponents you cannot best, then stealth is your only chance. Tell me, do you think merely defeating that young Earth User is going to get him off your back? Or that you will have a chance with my beloved daughter as long as you are cast in that stranger’s shadow? A little mental maturity may be just the remedy you need.”
Taj let off a despairing sigh and stared off the cliff top, glancing upon Kaira’s face that was smiling from the comfort offered by Kyo‘s cloak. Taj then turned his sights on Kyo, whose ever-changing eyes occasionally peeked open to check the clearing. Taj felt uneasy just observing him in his sleep, as if Kyo would open his eyes and immediately slay any opposition he sensed during sleep without so much as breaking a sweat.
How can he remain so aware when he’s asleep? Damn that Kyo…even in dreamland, he still has his hand on the handle of his sword. Taj thought, almost disheartened by the skill of his rival. Though he hated Kyo with a passive passion, he wanted to get that good. “Alright, please teach me what you can…”
“Sir,” Janon finished Taj’s statement. “From now on, you shall call me ‘Sir,’ though you should have been doing so before now…”
Janon wasted no time, and demanded Taj to draw his sword and practice on his own with Janon’s supervision and critique. Before long Janon intervened and showed Taj better stances to work with his balance and methods of holding a sword that would not knock it easily from his hand. Simple and vital beginnings. Taj listened, and did not talk often. He practiced what he could, and got irritable when Janon corrected him so wearily often. The breaks were few and far between, for they worked far longer than Taj had expected. When Taj began feeling confident, Janon stepped in to change stances or alter Taj’s movements, always with a corrective, precise tone. Taj fell into a lowly habit of quick nods and even faster transitioning. Into the night they worked like this, awkward but progressing until the sky began lightening with an oncoming dawn.
“Are we not going to sleep this entire journey, Sir?” Taj had to add some sarcasm, but meant what he said.
“We are Angels, Young Blood. You’ll find soon enough that we can go weeks without a wink of sleep. We’ll be somewhat tired, yes, but it will not truly become weakness. We cannot be killed so easily by such a petty thing as sleep.”
Janon called their session over and they soundlessly returned to the camp with the sky still very dark. Taj couldn’t help but grin when he passed by the others, waking none of them. It wasn’t until Kyo that Taj went undetected. As Taj passed, Kyo opened one golden eye and cast a hard stare into Taj, making him shiver all over. Instantly, he knew: Kyo had known the whole time that Taj was gone, and he wanted Taj to know it too.
His good mood ruined, Taj stomped the rest of the way back to his spot. Taj only laid down half a hour before the others began to rouse him fully awake again.

The dream was the same.
Something stirred within him, pressing against his chest and churning something impalpable. Where it touched an indescribable emptiness lay, encased in shadows dressed in mirrors. Such a cavern was an awful experience, and he tried again and again to turn from it. But the infernal emptiness was already a part of himself. Dreadful, fearsome, and vicious.
Worst yet, it was enticing. Terribly enticing. The emptiness drew him in the harder he fought, such a delicate balance of loathing and intimacy. And being here, at the edge of winter only encouraged the cavernous stirring.
The heavens were silent.

At his name being called Ryo jerked awake. In his disorientation he tossed his head around, looking for some enemy that was not there, though Janon was a debatable topic. Ryo thought to himself that sleep was unpleasant so close to the mountains.
“Are you all right?” Leo was mildly worried.
“Nothing.” Ryo answered the wrong question. “Where’s Kaira?”
“Already awake.”
Ryo looked where Leo gestured. His gentle daughter was still by Kyo’s side, delighting in the newcomer’s speech. Reminded of the night before, Ryo held his tongue with bitterness.

“There is a dragon here,” Kyo murmured when he was sure only Ken would hear.
“A dragon?” Ken did not bother hiding the anticipation. “You’re sure?”
“It has been on the move. Silently though. It is uncharacteristically cautious…the dragons that I’ve encountered were young and reckless. Dragons don’t have very much to fear to begin with, and normally only young bulls come this far south, searching for prey.
“And what do they do if their prey starts to escape?”
“They use their Elemental breath to help detain their prey. Fire dragons can trap their prey most effectively.”
“And what do you think about this dragon?”
“A number of things. It could be an elder dragon, I’ve only seen one and they are quite intelligent. Or it could be a dragon that learned its elemental breath isn’t useful for helping to capture prey like wind dragons. Perhaps it could be a sick or injured dragon, they are very territorial and that kind of weakness usually means death if they are within another dragon‘s proximity…Or maybe…“ Kyo’s voice trailed off into deeper thought.
“Maybe what?”
“It could be a dragoness with young.” Kyo said. “A bit unlikely, I admit, but the mothers can be ferocious when protecting their nests. If it is, we should move quickly and cautiously, and pray that she and her young are not hungry.”
Ken nodded and the two quickened their pace. They were not lagging behind, but they slowed down enough to stay out of a whispering earshot. The group was mostly paired off in their discussions, so nobody noticed Ken and Kyo were catching up.
Kaira and Taj were immediately in front of them. Taj was asking if Kaira was missing home and if she was tired. She commented about how she missed home a bit, but was excited to be adventuring outside of Hollow. Taj asked if there was anything he could do for her, but she responded that there wasn’t much to be done about being homesick. A bit disheartened, Taj fell into an awkward silence and waited for her to tell him a story or say anything that wasn’t about Kyo, like a few of their conversations were.
Davis and Jim were a bit further ahead, watching Dimi goof around with Kalon. Jim made a couple of jokes about Dimi, but Davis didn’t laugh much, mostly because the same comments applied to Jim as well. Kalon often punched Dimi for acting stupid, but that didn’t stop Dimi from clinging on to Kalon’s feet and getting dragged along the ground.
“He’ll quit that really quickly once we get to the snowy parts of the mountain…” Davis commented. Jim laughed and went on talking about how he can’t wait to check out the food in Camaria and how his favorite food was spaghetti because it was traditionally served with bread and wondered what kind of breads Camaria had as well.
Further ahead of the group was Leo and Ryo, staying far enough ahead of Dimi to avoid his foolishness and the risk of him overhearing any serious conversation the two had and blowing it out of proportion. Ryo was still thinking about last night and what Leo said about the sound they heard. Ryo looked over his shoulder to see Dimi dragging along the ground behind Kalon and with a sigh of relief, he turned to Leo. “So, what do you think that sound we heard was last night?” Ryo spoke quietly enough to make sure that Dimi would not hear.
“Honestly, I can’t tell you. I’ve been away from here and my books of the local wildlife for far too long. I may have had a lot more freedom than you at the Razada House, but Kain feared for my safety and never allowed me to leave the premises, even with the devout sword masters that taught me everything that they knew.”
Ryo grimaced at the thought. He remembered the sword masters and the memories were nothing short of unpleasant. Ryo recalled them talking down to him, treating him like scum and smacking him with their wooden replicas if he looked at them the wrong way. Although, they treated Ryo better than Steel did, he still bore hatred towards them.
Hopefully, they’re either dead or they’ll treat me better now that I’m older. Ryo thought to himself. He severely doubted the latter part, he knew that if Kain and Steel’s beliefs sunk into their old minds, they would not soon forget Ryo or how to treat him.
“Do you remember what Steel mentioned earlier while we were in the forest?” Leo asked calmly.
“About what? I remember the way he acted when we found Kyo and that kind of stuck out the most…”
“He mentioned dragons, Ryo. Dragons were creatures long extinct from the previous ages, even before humanity brought their own demise. They were creatures of myth that were sung of by bards and then later written in fantasy stories. However, some of the details are too keen to be purely fiction…fierce scaly beasts with large wings that could create gale force winds. And that most usually breathed fire, some of them lightning, others acid - which I imagine would be the most frightening. Some of the stories I read mention them shrieking, but perhaps that’s my imagination getting the best of me…” Leo admitted with an awkward smile.
“I suppose it is, especially if they died out long before the Cataclysm.” Ryo said, a bit relieved that the Dragons had all died out once before.
“Still, it would be quite fascinating to study a real Dragon! I wonder if they are truly carnivorous or if they are omnivores like some predators…” Leo went on to explain his interests in the Dragons, but Ryo tuned most of it out. Instead of listening, Ryo stared out to the horizon; observing the grey skies of the twilight hour, the faded images of mountains in the mist beyond, and the gaping ravine below the narrow cliff paths they walked upon. Ryo didn’t really think much of the Dragons, but if they were around, he knew that he had to protect Kaira from them.
Beyond Ryo and Leo, Caza walked behind Janon and Steel, keeping an equal distance from the company ahead and his friends behind him. He remained utterly silent, even his steady footsteps failed to make a sound, as his golden eyes cautiously scanned the scenery. Although, he was unsure of what he should be looking for, he knew better than to drop his guard. Caza held his chakrams firmly in his hand, the tenseness in his stance showed he was on edge, waiting for anything to happen.
All was calm and at the moment, nothing seemed unusual. Without warning Steel had taken two steps and leaped forward, away from the rest of the group. As he leapt, a large scaly figure violently erupted through the trees from the mountainside, snapping its jowls shut as it passed where Steel was once standing. Debris flew through the air passively from the sudden movement, and everyone who had been behind Steel stared.
The beast had a head larger than any man and a jaw line sharp with protruding scales and barbs ran down the center line of its head down the creature’s long neck. The one eye turned towards Ryo and the others was a depended red, dark as blood.
The moment seemed infinite and unreal, as the dragon slunk out from its hiding spot, revealing more of itself in the dusty sunlight. The creature was primarily crimson with a lighter underbelly hidden by wings that worked as forelegs on the ground. The body was elongated and slender but built with muscles that flexed visibly under the rough scaly skin. The barbs from the head went all the way to the tail, which was sleek and spotless save for longer scales that worked off the end.
Everyone stared for a minute, almost afraid, save for Caza and Kyo. As soon as the dragon had moved, Kyo had taken Kaira’s hand and moved swiftly away, past the others to the back of the group. Kaira offered no resistance to Kyo’s leading, but stared at the dragon with awe and fear. Taj had followed when he noticed Kaira gone, but still he gazed at the dragon.
The beast turned from Steel to the larger group and bared unblemished fangs. A deep churning groan emitted from the dragon’s chest, and Ryo thought he could feel the vibrations in the air. With the groan came common sense, and the rest began to move, quickly, away from the dragon.
Caza threw his chakrams as soon as he could see the red of the dragon’s scales, aiming for the head of the large mythical beast. The chakrams cut threw the air at high speeds, grating the scales they collided against as they started to return to his hands. The dragon seemed unaffected by Caza’s preemptive strike and let out a thunderous shrieking roar.
Steel stood behind the dragon with an uncaring look in his eyes, and moved to the cover of trees with the dragons back turned. “I must see how this plays out…” Steel said to himself as the others prepared for battle.
Caza’s face, though stoic, changed minutely in expression. “That attack did nothing…” he grumbled monotonously.
Without pause the dragon turned in place, swinging its long tail through the group. It struck no one, but tore through the ground and threw rock. Shaken by the attack, the group had scattered, going in separate directions around the dragon. The beast roared again, tossing its tail again, slamming it here and there in unbridled fury.
When it stopped, the dragon threw its head back, as smoke started to billow from its mouth and nostrils, and as it leaned forward, a large fireball blasted from its mouth and quickly approached the rest of the party. Janon, being the most forward of the group, quickly summoned a giant wall of ice. Upon collision, the ice wall immediately exploded and large ice shards that hadn’t vaporized on impact had scattered and shot out in all directions. Kalon, Dimi, Kyo, and Ken quickly dodged out of the way of the incoming debris.
Leo ran forward and started throwing dagger at the creature, aiming for the eyes and nearly hitting them, only just missing them or scraping just along the side as the dragon thrashed its head around. As Leo ran closer to its tail, the dragon moved around and blew a trail of fire behind him, attempting to catch Leo in its attack, but failing.
After spitting the trail of fire at Leo, a large boulder smashed against the dragon’s face, nearly throwing it off balance. As the dragon threw its head back to the rest of the party, Kalon had already closed the gap between him and the dragon and manipulated a rising column of Earth beneath his feet to catapult him forward towards the dragon. As the dragon began to ready another fire blast, Kalon cocked back his fist and with the force of raging earth, landed a strong haymaker against the dragon’s face with the power of an earthquake. The impact threw the dragon off balance and its face jerked away terribly.
When Kalon’s fist collided, the force of his attack and the dragon’s head movement launched him upwards. As he floated through the air with a smirk of satisfaction across his face, a torrent of water engulfed him and threw his body against the side of the mountain. All eyes trailed the Water back to Dimi.
Dimi’s expression was filled with shock and fear. “Oh my God!” he yelled. “Kalon, are you okay?!”
Kalon fell to the ground with a loud thud, other than being soaking wet, cold, and a bit scuffed up from the throw, he seemed more infuriated than injured.
“What the hell, Dimi?! Why’d you do that!?” Kalon seemed to forget the dragon for an instant to yell at the Water User.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to punch it in the face! I don’t know if you noticed, Kalon, it’s a God-damned Dragon!” Dimi said quickly, as he took his attention away from Kalon and back to the dragon. Upon refocusing, Dimi immediately started running away from the creature and towards the back of the group, screaming. Caza covered Dimi’s escape by throwing his chakrams at the dragon again, though in the same manner as before, the chakrams did no damage.
Ryo dashed forward with Eliazar’s blade in hand, and with the power of the Wind element, had flown above the dragon and landed on the tossing creature’s back. He lifted the blade high above him and stabbed downward into the creature between the creases of its scales. He felt a small fleeting satisfaction upon the successful penetration, until the dragon lurched to a stand on its hind legs, flinging Ryo and his blade off the beast. Before he collided with the mountain, Ryo summoned a torrent of Wind, setting himself upright and falling lightly back to the ground.
Taj stood firmly in front of Kaira as if trying to shield her. “Don’t worry Kaira, I’ll protect you…” He said with false confidence. You idiot. Taj thought to himself. It’s a damned dragon, I can’t believe I’m trying to threaten it with this. My sword’s a damned toothpick to this thing…
Ken was lobbing large boulders at the beast from the side, offering some long ranged offense as Janon shot ice arrows that had miniscule effect against the beast. The daggers Leo threw didn’t affect the creature other than being a nuisance. Caza’s chakrams also kept the beast on edge, as Jim and Kalon kept trying to get into melee distance and attempt to cause substantial damage to it, but couldn’t.
Kyo had finally stepped up along side of Taj, slightly nudging Taj out of the way, and standing in front of Kaira. Kyo had withdrawn his emerald sword from his sheathe and held it outwards with his right hand. Kyo’s red eyes were solely focused on the dragon with a sullen ferocity that Taj could not describe. “Stand aside.” Kyo demanded, not even bothering to look at Taj.
Taj was defiant and remained where he stood. “No, I’m going to protect her!” Taj growled back at Kyo, stubborn to maintain the image of bravery.
Kyo’s eyes darted over to Taj and gave him a look that petrified Taj down to his soul. “I will not say it again, Taj. If you value her life and yours, you will stand aside. I’m going to draw the dragon to attack me and if you get in my way, all three of us will perish. Now stand aside!”
Taj fell silent and instead of being the hero, as he so desperately attempted to maintain that image, he was now swiftly cast as a risk to their lives. Without a word or whimper, Taj had reluctantly slinked away from Kyo and Kaira. “Fine, but I’m only doing this for her. I don’t give a damn about our safety.” Taj spat after leaving his position.
“Likewise…” Kyo muttered before holding his sword in a forefront position, aimed towards the dragon.
Kaira stood in silence, watching Kyo walk towards the dragon with an eerie calmness to him and seeing Taj back away as he did worried her as well.
Kyo raised his sword into the air and summoned a giant vortex of rapidly spiraling water that had gathered around his blade, which grew in height and girth as Kyo focused his energy. The clouds in the sky seemed to have shifted with the moisture that Kyo had summoned and started to get drawn towards his location, as if stealing the moisture from the clouds for his own attack.
The dragon noticed the change in the air and quickly disregarded the minor distractions around it. The rest of the party had stopped their actions when the dragon took its attention away from them, and their eyes followed to see where the dragon’s attention was fixated. The party had fallen silent and the dragon roared in anger at the approach of this powerful enemy. The dragon gave a deep inhalation of air, as smoke began to billow from its nostrils, before releasing an enormous stream of Fire at Kyo.
With a simple motion of his sword, the vortex became a deafening torrent that flooded towards the incoming stream of fire, dousing it within an instant of contact and easily vanquishing the dragon’s flamethrower attack. The current of water had overpowered the fire breath so rapidly, that the dragon choked on the force of the torrent that had flooded its mouth.
The dragon shook its head in fury, turning its outraged gaze upon Kyo. It opened his mouth and attempted to shoot more flames, but nothing came out, only steam. Angered further, the dragon then charged Kyo with an open mouth to devour him. Kyo had not moved and his eyes of placid silver stared unflinchingly at the Dragon. A second vortex of Water was summoned to his sword, but something was strangely different about this attack.
From where he was, hiding Kaira behind him, Taj felt a pitiful pain in his pride.
The spiraling torrent of Water was also aglow with luminous sparks of Lighting, shooting out of the water and illuminating it in a radiant light that crackled.
Kyo can use Water and Lightning?! Ken thought to himself in astonishment.
When the Dragon was close enough, Kyo shot the electrical water current forward, rounding it’s path into the dragon’s mouth. Out of instinct, the Dragon closed its jaws with the Water. Kyo grinned at this. The Water still under his command, he sent it through the Dragon’s head and nose, down its throat to its tender belly, before releasing the Lightning from the Water and electrocuting it upon ingestion from the inside. The red Dragon gave a drowning roar, tossing it’s head and torso wildly about. Within mere moments, the charging dragon plummeted to the ground and slid towards Kyo. A large cloud of dust kicked up from the sliding corpse of the beast that blocked all sight of its body, but the cloud stopped only a few feet before Kyo. With the dragon slain, Kyo silently sheathed his blade. It was the only sound for several unreal moments. Then everyone moved at once, abuzz with excitement at the dead dragon.
Kyo turned his attention to Kaira. “Are you hurt?” He asked gently.
Kaira‘s light blue eyes were still wide with fear, but also mixed in was the glint of excitement. At Kyo’s question she blushed and hid half of her face, but remained facing Kyo while glancing sideways at the dragon. All of this was so new to her, she had a hard time reacting.
“No, I’m fine, really…” She spoke softly and shook her head. “…I wasn’t expecting to actually see a dragon here like this…”
Taj stood back in shame and helplessness. He can use more than one Element? How am I supposed to compete with him?! He just killed a dragon when most of the other members could barely scratch its scales…With the fear and shock of the dragon’s presence dulled Taj had become terribly frustrated.
“Did you guys see that?!” Dimi yelled at the top of his lungs and looking around frantically, as if nobody else had really seen Kyo kill the Dragon. Anyone who bothered acknowledging Dimi had given him a confirming nod before setting their eyes back on Kyo.
The party had slowly gathered around Kyo in silence, each member ready to speak to him or ask a question. Janon grimaced way at the fact that he could not slay the dragon, but this mysterious stranger did so without too much trouble. Even Caza looked impressed by Kyo’s power and any noticeable expression in Caza’s face was something unusual.
Davis was the first one to make it to him. “Water and Lightning! Kyo, how many Elements can you actually use?”
Kyo took a breath, as if trying to think of the right words.
“I’ve been able to use all six Elements for some time. Water was the first I had learned how to manipulate. Then from there, I found I could use six. The last element I learned how to use was Fire, if only because I grew up in the forest…”
Ryo had fallen to the back of the group again, furthest from Kyo. The fact that Kyo was so open about his ability to use multiple Elements slightly stunned him, for Ryo had remained silent about his ability for many years. Not even Dimi, Kalon, and Caza knew about that Ryo was able to use the other Elements, outside of Fire. A secret that Ryo kept for many years to avoid exploitation from the military or unease in the ranks, or that’s what Leo suggested that he do a long time ago. On occasion Ryo found find some User who could use two Elements rather than one, but when such a person was found more often than not they were incompetent with both Elements and could never learn to fully control themselves. In the end, the common understanding was that people were simply not able to use more than one.
Seeing Kyo now made Ryo uneasy, more so than before. He thought hurriedly, He may very well be Gennosuke and Oboro’s son. But what has he been doing up here?
Steel had silently walked behind everyone else and gave a small clap as he neared. All became quieter as he got closer and closer.
“Well done, Stranger, well done…” He spoke slowly and each word held venom, even though he was complimenting Kyo’s effort. “I don’t believe I could have done any better myself.”
“I didn’t expect to receive such a compliment from you.” Kyo said calmly. His nonchalant attitude irked Ryo from his thoughts.
“And a Fire Dragon at that…” Steel commented and went to the beast’s lifeless head. He kicked the teeth with his boot, enough to slightly move the creature before letting it rest again. “You knew what you were doing. So you weren’t putting up false pretences when you said you slew the occasional dragon?”
“No, I was not. I try to make it a habit not to tell petty lies.”
“You are indeed a man of your word, I insist that you come to Camaria with us now.”
“And what if I was disinterested in going?”
“Don’t be difficult, boy, or you’ll find me much harder to deal with than a dragon.” Steel said with a wicked intent. His metal arm had shifted into a blade within an instant. “Believe me, this arm of mine can also transform into a weapon more devastating than a sword as well. Defy me and I will be more than willing to use it on you…although, there may not be much of a warrior left when I’m done.”
Steel words lingered, but had no visible effect on Kyo. His eyes, now a golden brown color, were unwavering.
“You’ve no fear, I never said I intended to leave. Not yet at least.”
“Good.” Steel’s voice was like poison and Ryo felt a guilty relief from Steel’s attention going somewhere not him. But when Steel began the move again he strode casually by Ryo, stopping for a moment to murmur. “It seems you are not so special after all, Demon. He may not be an Angel, but he is not entirely human either. Perhaps he is able to close a Gate.”
“Gate?” Ryo asked, but Steel was already passed him, heading further up the mountain.
No one followed Steel yet. Instead, everyone with the exception of Janon and Ryo had circled the dead dragon, poking at its corpse and exclaiming among themselves. Ryo watched Kaira in particular. The young Hollow princess had sadness in her eyes as she felt the nose of the dragon with one hand and let it slide away. For the first time Ryo considered shielding her from the sight, but let uselessness shun the idea away. Kaira had already seen everything there was to see about the dead dragon.
“It’s sad…” Kaira mentioned to Davis, who was nearest to her. “It was beautiful, really. If only he was friendly…”
“She were friendly. I‘m pretty sure this isn‘t a bull.” Ken spoke up from the other side of the beast he had climbed until he was standing on the spine of the dragon, overlooking the whole mess. He ignored Dimi, who was at the head of the dragon, posing like a hero for those who would look.
“How can you tell?” Kaira asked, sad but ever-innocent.
“Don’t.” Davis warned before Ken could speak. The Earth User made a mild face before jumping down.
“I’m just saying. It’s a dragoness. Kyo’s looking into it.” Ken nodded towards Kyo. The stranger to the group had meandered through the rubble left by the dragon’s attack, always circling back towards the cliff wall where it had first emerged. His eyes, now indigo, scanned the large tracks left in the snowy dirt. Interested herself, Kaira followed him with Taj, Davis, Jim and Ken.
“She was protective of this area in particular. She circled back here several times, though she fought to drive us off,” Kyo spoke to no one in particular when they neared. He pointed to a small cavern in the cliff wall and some of the circling carved marks that seemed to have made it. “It seems she had been residing here for some time. The trees from earlier hid them.”
“I thought you said dragons don’t live this far south,” said Ken.
“They don‘t, normally…”
Kaira wandered closer to the crag in the rock, nearly losing her footing once or twice. Kyo followed her, catching her hand when she slipped to Taj’s irritation. She remained focused on the ground, looking amongst the rubble the best she could despite her small figure. Kyo and Taj watched her. Kaira made a sudden gasp that had startled Taj for a moment.
“What? What is it?” Taj quickly spoke.
Kaira stooped down and brushed aside some rubble, then picked up a large white egg that had covered a portion of her chest. “I found an egg!” She said with rising excitement welling in her voice, but before long that happiness waned into sorrow, remembering the death of its mother. “But its mom is dead…can we take it with us?”
“There has been many mythos about dragons and humans coinciding together once, ages before the Cataclysm. Perhaps, this would be a rare opportunity to put that myth to the test.” Kyo spoke from the back of the crowd.
“Where the hell did you hear that?!” Taj demanded, trying his damnedest to belittle Kyo’s knowledge.
“I’ve read books when I was a child. I’m not a complete savage, I didn’t always live in the forest. Those were some of the few memories I have in tact.” Kyo spoke bluntly and Taj had fallen silent.
“If we leave the egg here, it will surely die…” Davis spoke aloud to himself, noticing that Kaira had heard him and his comment had upset her. Davis stumbled to speak again to fix his mistake. “This would give us a chance to study and understand dragons, maybe even domesticate them or have it be the symbol of Hollow. So, Kaira, as long as you are willing to take care of it, I cannot think of a reason we should leave it behind.”
“How about if it grows big and tries to kill us all?!” Jim shouted thoughtlessly out of nowhere. Davis shot him a quick look to be quiet, but what was said had already been said.
“I think if given the proper training, that will not be an issue. As long as the natural rage and vicious carnivorous nature of a creature is sated, then it will have no reason to turn against the hand that feeds it. However, that does not mean that the threat is nonexistent…” Kyo turned to Kaira and looked into her gentle eyes. “Kaira, are you willing to accept this responsibility for this creature’s life?”
Without hesitation, Kaira gave a fast nod. “Yes! I am more than willing to love and nurture it.”
“Then it is done, let’s leave this gloomy cavern and carry on. I believe that making Steel wait is not exactly the wisest course of action.”
Everyone followed, including the reluctant Taj, who did not want to abide by anything that Kyo said. Even if what Kyo uttered was sound and close to Taj’s own thoughts. The idea of listening to Kyo left a bad taste in his mouth and he complained to himself and anyone who heard him.
“Who the hell does he think he is? Showing up out of the blue, putting his hands on Kaira when he‘s barely joined us for a day, and now he’s giving us orders! Damn it all, if I could, I’d fix him…”
“But you can’t, can you?” Ken spat back at him. “You’ve been whining since he annihilated you like the novice you are and he’s been giving us sane advice after joining us. What have you done other than complain? Name one thing that you‘ve actually contributed.”
“Shut it, Ken!” Taj let some of his built-up frustration show. To his dismay, Ken wasn’t phased at all. Ken waited for Taj to say more, and as much as Taj wanted to, nothing came, and he was left speechless.
“You can’t even come up with a good excuse for yourself. The least you could do is make one up. At least your father tried attacking the dragon head-on before running away. You just stood in front of Kaira after Kyo lead her away. You’re pathetic, and you’re just another mouth to feed.”
More vexed than before Taj opened his mouth to argue, only forming soundless words. Ken scoffed in disgust and walked on ahead with the others. Taj followed, more slowly than before, swearing at himself under his breath that Ken was partially right.
Kaira hadn’t even noticed that he had fallen behind with her new treasure. She found Ryo waiting for her, and he eyed the white egg with an untrusting eye.
“What is that?” he asked lowly.
“An egg!” Kaira held it out for Ryo to see better. “I found it, and Davis said I can keep it!”
“A dragon’s egg?” A tide of objections hit Ryo at once, and he wanted to tell her immediately to throw it away. The one image that repeated itself was an image of a small red dragon exploding with Fire and engulfing Kaira with it.
“It’ll be a nice dragon. Kyo and Davis will help me,” Kaira insisted with a sweet smile. When Ryo’s expression did not change, her light blue eyes grew unbearably worried. “…you don’t want me to have it…?”
“No…you can keep it…” Ryo buckled under the pressure of her eyes. It paid off when Kaira grew instantly happier and held the egg close before tucking it under her coat and carried against her chest. Going into the mountains word quickly spread amongst the group that Kaira had found a lone dragon’s egg and was planning to keep it. Kaira showed it to everyone several times, beaming with pride at her bundle. More than once Dimi tried coaxing Kaira into a trade, but Kaira kindly refused every time.
“What on earth will she do with a dragon of all things?” Janon commented once with Ryo near. “She can have as many horses and little donkeys as she wants back in Hollow, but why a dragon…!”
“She can have whatever she wants,” Ryo replied with a quiet resentment. He decided right then that he would do whatever it took to let Kaira keep the dragon for herself.

The party had traveled onward for some time, deeper within the mountains where the snow was plentiful and falling from the sky. A couple of the members who could not handle the cold well were showing all the signs and those who were unaffected before had finally begun to feel winter’s embrace. The snow was deep where they walked and was up to most of the party’s knees. Among the cold, Taj was the worst off, with a runny nose that he kept trying to hide whenever Kaira looked his way.
“Taj, are you all right?” Kaira asked gently when Steel finally stopped them for the night.
“What, this?” Taj responded, looking up into the sky. “This is nothing. I’m fine, Kaira. Are you doing okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine…but you’re starting to worry me. I know you don’t like the cold, Taj, and you’re starting to look sick. Answer me honestly, are you sure you are all right?”
A long awkward moment of silence passed between them as a harsh wind blew that sent chills down Taj’s spine. The wind was relentless, and never stopped once since entering the higher portion of the mountains. Unwilling to show weakness, Taj responded through the cold. “I’ll be okay, Kaira. I may not be tough, but I’ll get by,” he finally admitted. One this happened, Kaira moved away again to be near Kyo around a fire Davis was making. Taj was left standing alone, trying to decide on a fire to sit near when Janon strode by.
“Look at you. You’re a mess.” The Ice User sneered at Taj and took a handkerchief from his coat pocket. He tossed it limply into Taj’s hands. “Take this, and clean yourself up. I’ll not have my pupil appearing so undignified, even in such isolated places like this.”
Not wanting to be disrespectful, Taj held the cloth until Janon walked away before putting it away in his own jacket. Before Taj was finished, Davis was standing with him watching Janon leave.
“Did Janon show you a kindness? Didn‘t know he had a kind bone in his body.” Davis was openly surprised.
The rest of the night was spent in groups huddled against the rock wall along the path with Fires being produced by Leo, Ryo and Davis. Steel had disappeared again, leaving everyone alone for the evening. There was less talking than the previous nights with a freezing wind cutting through the makeshift camp. When put to an unfair vote, everyone who wasn’t a Fire User voted that the Fire Users remain awake throughout the night to keep a fire going. But as Ryo sat awake with a fire blazing before him, he saw no one really slept, but huddled against the rocks for shelter from the wind and kept their eyes closed. Again Ryo saw Janon motion for Taj to go with him and the two disappeared over the next ridge and did not return until an hour before dawn when the winds were finally starting to die down.
Through the night Ryo watched Kaira sleep restlessly in the cold. She sat upright with Kyo and Davis on each side, propping her upright and bracing her against the chilling wind.