We flew directly from the prison to the palace. Fearing they might disappear, I summoned my wings back. I shared this fear with Ferox, but didn't dare ask him anything else. I was curious about why he was in the forbidden city, in the fallen kingdom, and why he had attacked me. However, I remained silent as we neared the palace, the most heavily fortified place I had ever seen. It was guarded by wind dragons alone. They allowed me in when they heard I was expected by the queen, and Ferox trailed closely behind me.

We entered an impressive hall where the queen was seated on her throne, attended by a handful of servants and guards. Before I could utter a word, a voice cried out, “Intruder!” and a young wind dragon, roughly my size, charged into me. He pinned me to the ground as if I posed an immediate threat. I chose not to resist, knowing it would only escalate matters. Nevertheless, I felt indignant and humiliated.

“Get off me. I’m not an intruder,” I protested.

“I got him. What now?” the dragon asked, his claws digging into my neck.

The queen chuckled and said, “Oh, Vesper, it’s just a primate. Let it go.”

“Exactly, an ape, an enemy,” he retorted.

“Begging your pardon, your majesty, but I’m not simply a primate! I’m a human,” I corrected.

“Let go of the human, Vesper,” the queen instructed.

“If I were you, I’d listen to your mother,” I muttered under my breath.

 

“Fine, human,” he relented, releasing me. He glared at me with contempt, which I returned in kind. I did not take kindly to his behavior and saw no reason for it.

The queen, with a look of curiosity, asked me, “So, I’ve never seen a creature like you. What brings you here, and who are you?”

“My name is Raphael. I apologize, but I’m not entirely sure how I ended up here. I was in another kingdom far away, and then suddenly found myself in your land. I come in peace,” I replied.

“What city?” she inquired.

“The Kingdom of Aura Aetherius,” I answered.

“Oh, I know that city. It’s quite distant indeed,” she remarked.

I thought sarcastically, “Oh, really? I saw a map and it’s on the opposite side of the world.” However, I did not voice this. Instead, I politely responded, “Yes, I should return, but I’m unsure of the way.”

“It’s not worth the risk. We sent a messenger to Aura Aetherius on your behalf. We should receive a reply in a few days. We can’t just let you leave. My apologies,” she said with a casual air.

“That’s fine. I’ll wait, thank you,” I responded, resigned to my fate.

“Not that you have much choice. Do you possess any skills or talents?” she queried.

I pondered why she would want to know and what skills or talents she anticipated from me. Regardless, I answered honestly, “I can read, write, do math, and things like that. I also know how to manipulate some elements and transform elementless crystals into elemental crystals. That’s about it.”

She seemed particularly interested in the elements and asked, “What elements?”

“I’ve learned some ice, wind, and fire, but I still have a lot to learn. It’s nothing special,” I said modestly.

“The fact that you can control more than one element is already remarkable. What are you?” she asked, suspicion evident in her tone.

“I’m a human. As I mentioned before,” I reiterated.

“Do all humans possess such abilities?” she asked.

“No, and I don’t think you’ll encounter any other humans besides me in this world. Don’t ask me why. I’m sorry, but I don’t know why I even exist, to be honest,” I confessed sadly.

She then called for Ferox and said, “Good. Ahem, Ferox, could you please fetch the crystal expert? I want to see something.”

“Yes, my queen,” he responded, departing to locate the crystal expert.

Meanwhile, I stood there awkwardly until she said, “Oh, sorry, I forgot your name. You are?”

“My name is Raphael, Queen Freya,” I replied.

“Very well then, Raphael, could you show me some of your elemental skills?” she asked.

“Here? It’s ice, wind, and fire. Are you sure?” I asked hesitantly.

A servant snapped at me, “Queen’s request! Don’t question it!”

I was taken aback by his tone but chose not to respond. Instead, I summoned an ice shard, accidentally cut my hand with it, then levitated it with wind, and finally melted it with fire.

I heard the queen mutter under her breath, “Incredible, it’s real.” Pretending not to notice, I waited for her response. In the meantime, I healed the hand I had nicked with my ice shard. Vesper’s voice echoed from a distance: “Unbelievable! That’s so cool! Can I do it too?” Freya dismissed him, saying, “No, you are a wind dragon. You can’t.” He pouted, “Oh, that’s a shame.”. Ferox returned with the Crystal Expert, another wind dragon, who bowed to the queen before turning to me expectantly. Freya asked him, “Are we running low on elemental crystals? We may have found a new source,” he answered, “It depends on the element. We have plenty of wind crystals, but others are in short supply.” Freya turned to me and asked, “Raphael, what kind of crystals can you produce?” I replied, “Ice, fire, wind, and health crystals.” The crystal expert gasped, “Health crystals? Really? That’s great! Queen Freya, may I take him to my workshop?” The queen nodded and said, “That’s why I summoned you. Take him to your workshop and arrange a place for him to stay for the next week or two. And replenish our crystal supply.” He saluted, “It will be done, my queen.” Freya addressed me again: “Very well, Raphael, you’ll be assigned to assist Kari with the production of elemental crystals. In exchange, you’ll have a roof over your head and our protection while we await news from our messengers. You’re not allowed to leave the city unless I give you explicit permission. Understood?” I replied, “Yes, your majesty.” I felt like I had been transported back in time. 'Your majesty,' 'queen,' and 'king' were not terms commonly used in my society.

We then left the palace and entered a workshop brimming with crystals. Most of them were wind and elementless ones, with only a few possessing other elements.

Kari was eager to begin work. He asked me, “So, how do you typically transform an elementless crystal into an elemental one?” I replied, “I simply hold it and change its element.” He requested that I create a health crystal for him, which I did. Then, he purposefully cut himself with a sharp edge – a minor cut. He broke off a piece of the crystal and put it close to the wound. The crystal then healed his wound. He exclaimed, “This is the first time I’ve seen someone who can make health crystals that actually work. We don’t have a minute to waste. Make as many health crystals as you can. We’ll need them.” I inquired, “How long have you been short on health crystals?” He replied, “Not exactly short, just very limited. But now, thanks to you, we can rectify that.” So, I set about my task. I transformed one crystal after another into health crystals. It was a simple task for me. I just had to be careful not to injure myself with some of them as they were pointy, or drop one accidentally because it would be wasted. I did this for more than an hour. It was monotonous, but I knew that these crystals were precious and could save lives, so I didn’t mind.

I tried to engage the crystal expert in conversation, but we didn’t have much in common. He was solely interested in the crystals and assigning me tasks. After creating many crystals, I accidentally turned one into an element I had never seen before. It took on a dark hue, similar to Erebus’ color. I asked Kari, "Could you look at this? I don’t know how, but I made it.” He examined it for a moment and said, “Just a shadow crystal. It’s useless here, but I don’t have one in my collection. Can you make another one?” I tried, but to no avail. It just appeared randomly while I was making the others. He attempted to assist me: “Did you think about the shadow element by mistake?” I replied, "No, I don’t even know that element yet.” He said, “Strange, usually that’s how you make crystals, by focusing on the element, right?” I replied, "Yes, but… I don’t know how I made this one. It’s an exception.” He shrugged and didn’t offer any useful advice. This crystal expert could identify crystals but not create them, or if he knew something, he didn’t want to share it with me.

I was about to grab another batch of crystals when he told me, “I think that’s enough for today. Why don’t you take a break and go outside for a walk? Maybe explore the city. It’s quite nice.” I replied, “I think I’ll do that another day, thanks anyway. I’ll just step outside.”

As I stepped outside, I took a deep breath of the fresh air and gazed at the setting sun. The sky was painted with hues of orange and purple, but a chill of uncertainty crept over me. Where would I be sleeping tonight? I turned to Kari, hoping he had a solution.

He smiled and informed me that he owned several properties around the city, some of which were vacant. He produced a map and pointed to a few buildings he had marked with ink. “If you have a preference, pick one that’s between the palace and the workshop,” he suggested. “The closer you are to the palace, the safer you’ll be.”

I nodded and scanned the map. I didn’t want to impose on him, but I also didn’t want to roam aimlessly in the dark. “Fine, I’ll take this one,” I said, pointing to a house that seemed conveniently located near both the workshop and the palace. “Thank you for your generosity.”

He waved off my thanks. “It’s no trouble at all. I’ll guide you there soon. For now, please wait here.” He gestured to the workshop, where we had spent most of the day, before leaving to fetch the keys.

As I looked around the workshop, I felt a twinge of unease. It was dusk, and the streets were deserted. The workshop was filled with valuable tools and materials that could easily tempt any thief. I clenched my fists, ready to defend myself if anyone dared to break in. I remembered how I had fought in the arena, using my skills and speed to best my opponents. I hoped I wouldn’t have to put those skills to use again.

Kari returned soon enough, a set of keys in his hand. He handed them to me and said, “Let’s go. I’ll show you the way.” We locked up the workshop and made our way to the house.

I gasped when I saw it. It was a beautiful building, complete with a garden and multiple floors. It looked spacious and elegant, far too luxurious for someone like me. “Are you sure this is okay?” I asked him, awestruck.

He nodded and explained, “It’s fine. The previous owner sold it to me less than a month ago. I was planning to move in myself, but I haven’t had the time yet. I also renovated it recently, so everything is new and clean. You’ll be the first one to use it.”

I thanked him profusely, feeling both grateful and guilty at the same time. “I don’t know how to repay you,” I said. “Especially since I don’t really own anything.”

He chuckled and said, “Don’t worry about it. It’s not a problem at all. Besides, you did a great job today at the workshop. You have a lot of talent and potential.” He smiled warmly and added, “We’ll see you tomorrow morning, alright? Have a good night.”

I smiled back and said, “Sure, thank you again.” He waved goodbye and left me alone.

I entered the house and marveled at its interior. Everything looked new and shiny. Almost too pristine and sterile for my taste. But it was better than nothing. There were many rooms that were unfurnished, but there was also a cozy bedroom and a small workshop that resembled the one we had worked in today.

As I settled in, I suddenly remembered something that was missing. My backpack! Where had I left it? Oh no! I ran outside, hoping it was still somewhere.

I sprinted to the spot where I had met the other wyverns who knew Ferox. They were still there, guarding like loyal soldiers. They glared at me as I approached them.

I caught the eye of one of the wyverns, who greeted me with a smirk. “Oh, it’s you again. What do you want now? Didn’t you find a place to stay for the night?” He teased me, and I smiled back. “Hi, I found a place to stay, and it’s great, so don’t worry. Anyway, I’m looking for Ferox. Do you know where he is?” He shrugged and turned to his companion. It spoke up. “He’s out somewhere. He’ll be back by midnight.” I checked my imaginary wristwatch, but of course I didn’t have one. I asked them, “Sorry, I don’t know the time. What hour is it now?” The light blue wyvern said, “Hold on a second.” He summoned a cold wind, then nodded, as if the wind had whispered something to him. “Almost midnight. He should be here any minute.” I was curious. “How did you know the time?” He winked at me. “Secret. I can’t explain it to you.” I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Cool anyway.”

Ferox finally showed up, his eyebrow raising in surprise at my presence. “Hello, is something wrong?” he asked.

I wasted no time in getting to the point. “Do you know where my backpack is? I had one before.”

His nod was slow, thoughtful. “The backpack with the diary? Yeah, I have it. But I can’t give you the diary back. It belongs to its original owner.”

The original owner… a name had been mentioned in the diary, but it had slipped my mind. “So the owner is still alive?” I asked.

Ferox smiled, a weary, nostalgic expression, and pointed at himself. “Yes, right here in front of you.”

I gasped. “No way, so…” I hesitated, glancing around at the wyverns who were watching us with keen interest. “Are you sure you want to talk about this here?”

“Did you read the diary?” Ferox asked, his gaze sharp.

I decided to be honest: “Some parts, yes. I’m sorry, I was just too intrigued by it.”

Ferox waved his wing dismissively, but I noticed the tightness around his eyes. “It’s fine. I don’t mind. There wasn’t anything too important in it.”

The casual way he dismissed his own past ignited my curiosity. “Not even the… do they know?” I asked, voicing the question that had been bothering me.

Ferox's gaze hardened. “The insults to the royal family? Yeah, they know. They went through that too. Didn’t you guys?”

The wyverns nodded, their expressions grim. “Yeah, we’ve been through a lot of bullshit,” one said. The light blue wyvern added, “I hear you. I’m glad that’s over.”

“So you were all against the royal family and joined the war against the kingdom?” I asked, trying to piece together their story.

Ferox shook his head. “We didn’t join the war. We just left the kingdom and warned everyone to do the same. But hardly anyone listened, so when the war broke out, we didn’t care.”

Finally, Ferox retrieved my backpack but kept the diary. We chatted a bit more, and then I left, my mind teeming with new information and unanswered questions.