"So, you kill dragons?" I asked. She shook her head firmly, "No." I persisted, "But we were both attacked, and you attempted to kill me." She responded, "It's not what it looks like." I narrowed my eyes, "But you declared their hunt successful when you saw them return with me and Freya."

"We don't kill dragons. We mistook you for a shadow dragon," she explained. I remained skeptical, "You attacked a wind dragon. And me…" I countered. "We thought she was your ally. We didn't know she was the Queen… until I saw the mark." she admitted.

"But how are you so adept at killing dragons?" I asked. Annoyed, she retorted, "You're getting on my nerves, you know?"

"Oh yeah?" I replied, "I think I'm owed some answers from those who repeatedly broke my spine, bit me, poisoned me, and tried to murder me in every conceivable way."

Finally, she relented, "Fine, maybe we do kill dragons sometimes. But we do it as humanely as possible. Your queen was slated to be slain while unconscious, in a painless manner. Your case was an exception, or better, an anomaly."

"Thank you for the clarification," I conceded, "I must admit, your techniques are quite effective." She responded with a hint of pride, "Thanks, I taught myself well."

The others chimed in, "Oh, please be quiet. We did all the hard work. I even got a bit hurt, those claws of yours are sharp." he glanced at his leg wounds, which I had inflicted. I offered, "Fine, let me heal those too."

"Thank you," he said, even before I did so. He then asked, "By the way, who are you?"

"I'm the Queen's husband. My name is Nox. Please, lets not get started with questions. I'm not in the mood right now," I replied. He remained silent, but his sister probed, "So, what are the perks of being the Queen's husband?"

"It's less about perks and more about responsibilities. Living and working in the palace, crafting a political image, and finding solutions to problems like newcomers and cataclysms. It's a lot. I could go on," I explained.

"For someone who’s not in the mood for questions, you’re quite forthcoming," she teased. "Fine, I’ll keep quiet then until we reach our destination," I retorted. "Oh, what a shame," she replied, feigning disappointment.

We walked in silence until we neared a village. She halted us at a safe distance, "Wait here," she instructed, "I'll inform the Master, Guardian, and return shortly if all is well." I pondered the identity of this "Guardian," a title I had only heard in the domain of Aura. We obeyed her command and waited patiently.

From a distance, I saw her conversing with another shadow dragon who looked vaguely familiar. Until I recognized him, it was Erebus, whom I hadn’t seen in ages. Relief washed over me knowing he was still alive, but later when we were face to face, he didn’t recognize me and gave me a cold glance.

After she returned and beckoned us to follow, I got a closer look at Erebus. He appeared weary but resolute. He went straight to the queen, examining her condition. They gently lifted her and carried her into a tent, and I followed closely, unwilling to let her out of my sight.

Inside the tent, they placed her on a hammock covered with sheets and blankets, adorned with symbols. One matched the queen’s mark. Perhaps, that was the reason why they recognized her, or they had prior knowledge of her. I could only guess.

Erebus turned and noticed me watching. He snapped, "What are you staring at?" I replied calmly, "I'm just concerned for my queen, dear Guardian." He frowned, "How do you know...why did you call me Guardian?" I remained silent, not wanting to reveal too much, even though the earth dragon had just referred to him as such.

"And what is a shadow dragon doing here?" he continued. "Aren't you one too?" I retorted. "Well, yes, but it’s different," he defended. "Fine, whatever you say. But I don’t appreciate your hostile reception to your kind," I retorted.

The Earth Dragon, the green female one who broke my spine multiple times, intervened, "Oh, I forgot to mention, if our poison had affected you, you would have been dragged here and interrogated." "Wait, what?" I exclaimed. Erebus cut in, "If the poison had affected you? Are you immune?"

"Not entirely. It just suppresses my element, but it doesn’t kill me," I explained. "That’s impossible without an antidote," he argued. The Earth Dragon defended me, "He’s telling the truth. He also survived me. And you know how I deal with shadow dragons.” “What did you do to him?” Erebus directed at her. “Why don’t you let him tell you?” she deflected.

Erebus regarded me with curiosity, probing, “What happened?” Misinterpreting his query, I began to narrate our journey. “We had been flying for more than ten hours straight and had to land. While Freya was on guard, they…” He interrupted me, clarifying, “Not about that. I mean with her.”

I grasped his reference to the bite mark on my neck and the few scars left, still visible despite my healing. Correcting myself, I said, “Ah, I see. Well, she bit me. I must have been poisoned. They also attempted to crush my lungs, body, and break my spine. For over ten minutes, I was caught in her death grip. My heart ceased to beat, but I managed to maintain consciousness and survive.”

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief, remarking, “That sounds impossible.” The Earth Dragon interjected, “He isn’t lying, I swear. He is immortal.” He shook his head, pressing, “Nobody is immortal. What are you?”

I gave him an ambiguous response: “Perhaps I’m someone familiar, but you can’t recognize me in this form, dear Erebus.” His eyes widened as he identified the name I used. He queried, “What was your name?” I replied, “Nox.” He persisted, “Your real name.” I countered, “I believe you can figure it out.” He ventured a guess, “An immortal being that once had a different form… are you, Raphael?”

I responded with a chuckle, “Congratulations, you got it. It’s really me.” He approached me in awe, stating, “I thought you would’ve never remembered me. You should be dead.” I retorted, “It seems I've survived multiple times.”

He then noticed something else about me, asking, “You bear a striking resemblance to someone, but I can’t quite recall. Would you mind spreading your wings?” I complied. He inspected them, musing, “There aren’t many dragons with such a pattern. Do you know whom you look like?” I confirmed, “Yes, I do. His name begins with Z and ends with an O.” He concurred, “Guess then we’re both talking about the same dragon: Zeno. How did you know about him?” I retorted, “I was about to ask you the same question.”

He enlightened me, “Every Guardian of Aura knows about him. He is said to be the founder of the Guardians. You’re just like a reincarnation of him.” I reminded him, “Erebus, behind this form, I’m still the human Raphael, you know?” He acknowledged, “I’m aware, but it doesn’t really matter. I’m glad you’re still alive. How have you been all these years?”

I recounted, “I led a beautiful life with my queen. She fell in love with me, and I eventually did too. It’s a long story, and I’m a bit weary. I need to rest if possible. We could continue this later.” He agreed, “Of course, but you must tell me everything in detail later. I’d really like to know.” I promised, “I will, but you must do the same.”

He hesitated, admitting, “I’m not sure if I can, but we’ll see.” Disappointed, I queried, “Oh, why not?” He responded, “It’s complicated.” I brushed it off, “Nevermind, where can I rest, please?”

He directed me to a hammock not far from Freya’s, cautioning, “You’re lucky to be alive. Remember, you may appear like if you’re immortal, but nobody really is.” I yawned, replying, “After surviving multiple deaths over twenty years, I’d beg to differ.” I tried to dismiss him, but he reemphasized, “I’m serious. You aren’t immortal. Nobody is.”

I didn’t respond verbally, but I nodded in acknowledgment. I was too exhausted to continue the conversation. I just needed to rest and recover from all that ordeal.