She was a master of seduction, and I was her kind of, awkward, willing prey. She knew how to use every weapon in her arsenal, every skill that could persuade me to follow her desires. Silently, I cursed her for having such power over me.

The following day, Akira and Fyrenthos slept in until noon. Perhaps they had exhausted themselves, or maybe they had simply forgotten the comfort of a soft bed. Regardless, we didn't mind. We had a more pressing matter to attend to: supporting Zephyrion on his big day.

He was facing his first exam, a test where he had to demonstrate his learning in front of everyone, including his masters and his peers, whom he had already befriended. He was nervous, but we did our best to soothe him. We had faith in his abilities and were confident that he would ace the test. Vesper lent a wing and accompanied him in an exam that he had passed long ago, even before my arrival here.

Zephyrion did not disappoint. He summoned not only his primary element, the wind he was expected to wield, but also the same ice shards that I could conjure. His shards were smaller and less lethal than mine, but it was an extraordinary feat nonetheless. I wondered if he shared my exact same elements or not, and if I should have helped him master them.

The remainder of the day was delightful. Zephyrion was overjoyed and clung to us, even after Akira and Fyrenthos joined us for a tour of the kingdom. We then took them to see the other kingdoms, and upon reaching the city of the water dragons by the shore, their patriarch greeted us with a surprise.

“Your majesty, we have a special guest for you,” he announced.

Intrigued, we wondered who this could be. Fyrenthos then said, “I have a feeling that Hydra is here.”

Puzzled, I asked, “Who is Hydra?”

Akira replied, “One of the special subjects of the guardians, like me.”

“And why would she be here? Why would she come here? How can you even sense her?” I questioned further.

“You’ll find out if you visit Aura’s kingdom,” she responded cryptically.

As we approached the mysterious guest, we realized it was a water dragon. I had no recollection of what Hydra looked like, but Freya greeted her with grace. “Good afternoon, and welcome to our kingdom. We are Queen Freya and King Nox, at your service.”

Hydra seemed timid and did not respond right away. She had summoned us, but she was not prepared to speak. However, when she saw Fyrenthos and Akira among us, she exclaimed, “Sunflares? Fyrenthos? Akira? You are still alive?”

Fyrenthos responded, “Good afternoon, Hydra. Yes, we are still alive, even though Akira, well, she…”

Akira cut him off, saying, “We don’t talk about that anyway. We are glad to see you and welcome you to the kingdom. Please show some respect to your king and queen.”

Hydra turned her gaze toward us and bowed her head. “It is an honor to meet you, Nox and Freya. I am Hydra, the representative of the Water dragons at the Kingdom of Aura.”

I replied, “We are pleased to see you as well, and it is an honor for us too to meet you. We’re here to listen to your questions.”

She said, “Thank you, your majesty.”

Then Freya asked, “You said that you had something to ask us. What is it?”

Hydra said, “Oh right, sorry. I am here to ask you: how many Water dragons can you accommodate in the kingdom?”

We were unsure how to answer, and since the Patriarch knew the kingdom better than us, we asked him to respond. He said, “We are always expanding. Currently, we are accepting anyone who wishes to join us, but we may run out of space eventually. We can take in about a hundred new Water dragons each year.”

Hydra said, “Very well, I hope then we could send you about thirty Water dragons from our kingdom. They are hard workers, and I am sure they will gladly contribute to your efforts.”

The Patriarch looked at us and asked, “Are we willing to take the risk?”

I then asked Hydra “May I ask, from which kingdom are they?”

She replied, “From the kingdom of the Great Waterfall, under domain of Aura.”

I followed up with, “Do you have any proof that Aura approved this?”

She said, “I have this letter. You should take a look.” She handed us a waterproof letter with Aura’s signature, which explained the numbers and the reasons behind them. The sister kingdom of the Water dragons there was growing too fast and was unable to find enough space for all the new Water dragons. This was a straightforward problem that could not be solved in a reasonable time frame, so they had to resort to drastic measures such as this.

We agreed to the request and signed the letter, which vanished immediately like some kind of magic act. Hydra thanked us and said, “May your kingdom grow in prosperity. If you allow me, I would like to stay here and help with your efforts. Your majesty.”

The patriarch spoke for us: “You have our permission to stay in the kingdom. We will provide you with a place to live and an opportunity to help.”

I said, “I agree,” and Freya echoed me: “Approved, but Remember: Do not disappoint us.”

Hydra said, “I won’t. I will do my best. Thank you, your majesty. I bless you.“

A surge of fear swept over me as I gave my approval to these new dragons. Akira and Fyrenthos had painted a bleak picture of the kingdom’s current state, and I wondered about the fate of the sister kingdoms. I had barely learned anything about them before arriving here, and their leaders’ names escaped my memory.

However, my worries proved unfounded. The newcomers were exemplary citizens, seamlessly blending in with the locals without any trouble or conflict. Hydra, in particular, grew very close to the patriarch, and soon they sought our blessing for their union. We gladly consented, and thus a new king and queen emerged, elevating the kingdom of the water dragons to a true kingdom of its own.

Although it remained under our influence and command, the kingdom now had its own leaders and hierarchy. A new era dawned for the water dragons, one that promised growth and prosperity, guided by Hydra and the patriarch, Nerion.