Reaching out for Erebus, I asked him, “How long does the journey from the lands of the hidden shadows to here usually take?” He glanced at me and responded, “Is this question about Akira and her boyfriend?” As I nodded affirmatively, I added, “Yes, I’m curious about when they might arrive.” After a moment of thought, he replied, “The journey takes a few days. I can't remember the exact duration, but they could arrive at any time.”

His vague answer left me unsatisfied, so I pressed on. “Should we wait for them at the meeting point?” He shook his head and said, “If you wish, you can wait for them at the lake. I have some business to attend to and won’t be available full-time. I apologize for any inconvenience.” I reassured him with a smile, “Don’t worry, take your time. I’ll wait for them.”

Just then, Siveth joined us and asked, “Do you need a bodyguard or something for that?” I frowned at her and retorted, “What the hell, Siveth? Have you been eavesdropping on us this whole time?” She shrugged nonchalantly and replied, “Yes, is that a problem?” I responded, “Yes, it is. I’d like some privacy when conversing with a Guardian.” But Erebus interjected, “It’s fine. We have nothing to hide as long as it’s about topics like these.”

Feeling annoyed in the early hours of the morning, I decided to change the subject. “I’m heading to the lake. Where is Freya?” He pointed towards a nearby hut and said, “She’s preparing. She’ll be accompanying me today. I hope that’s fine with you.” I asked, “It depends on what you plan to do.” He explained, “She asked if I could teach her more about her element. Even though I’m not the best wind dragon, I think I could offer her some advice that I learned from Cyrus.”

The mention of Cyrus saddened me again. I asked him, “What happened to Cyrus? The last time you mentioned him, you said he had disappeared.” He sighed heavily and said, “After you left, we received a message from the kingdom of the Whispering Wind. Both Cyrus and Sol departed, but they never made it there.” I probed further, “Do you have any idea what might have happened to them?” He shook his head and replied, “I don’t know. I can’t establish a vision connection with them anymore. I fear the worst has happened, but I don’t know how.” His eyes reflected fear and sorrow as a tear fell to the ground. I said softly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t want this to happen because of me.” He wiped away the tear and said bitterly, “It’s not your fault. We should never have let a guardian go alone. We should have stuck together like always. What a foolish mistake.”

I asked him, “Do you think you could have saved them?” His voice was bitter as he replied, “With the other guardians, yes. We were unstoppable and invincible. No one, not even the dark lord, could have withstood us. But now we are scattered and broken. Hiding.” I pressed on, “Why? What made you leave the kingdom and come here?” He sighed, “We had to do it for the city’s sake. We are a target for many enemies, and we didn’t want to expose the city to their attacks. So we separated. I came here while the others returned to their own kingdoms, I hope.”

Sensing there was more to the story, I asked, “Were you forced to leave?” He avoided my gaze and remained silent. Guessing the truth, I said, “Did Aura make you go?” He snapped, “No, it was our decision. We all agreed on it, okay?” I flinched at his outburst and said, “Okay, I get it. I’m sorry. Thank you for being honest with me.” He calmed down and apologized, “Sorry. It’s a sensitive topic for me.”

At that moment, Freya arrived with some supplies in her arms, looking prepared for a long journey. She greeted us and said, “Hi, Nox, how are you?” I replied, “I’m fine, thanks. So, you’re going on a trip?” She smiled and said, “Yes, I am. And these things I’m carrying are just the essentials. Did he tell you about it?” I glanced at Erebus and saw him nod. I said, “Yes, he did. Accidentally.” We shared a laugh before departing the village.

Siveth told me to meet her at the lake and that she would join me soon. So I headed there alone, ignoring the sheep and other tempting prey along the way. I still felt sick from the last day’s feast.

Upon reaching the lake, I was met with silence, not a soul in sight. I lingered for a while, then decided to explore the surroundings. A cave, nestled behind a small waterfall, piqued my interest. Venturing inside, I discovered nothing more than pools of water and some passages leading deeper into the darkness. Unwilling to risk getting lost in an underwater labyrinth, I retreated and headed outside. Following the river upstream, I discovered smaller streams branching off, cascading into cracks in the earth. Then, I heard noises and realized I wasn't alone. To avoid potential trouble, I submerged myself in the water and swam back to the lake.

Relishing the coolness of the lake water, I noticed a group of Earth Dragons approaching the shore. They were different from me: Siveth, Canine, and Vexus. Their tails were adorned with spikes and their vibrant colors signaled their venomous nature. I attempted to hide behind some rocks, but it was futile. They had seen me and called out, “Hey, what are you doing here in our lake?”

Attempting to play it cool, I retorted, “That’s none of your business, brother.” I had a habit of referring to other Earth Dragons as brothers and sisters, even if we were strangers. They were not amused by my response and swam closer, circling me like sharks, and questioned, “Who are you?”

I responded, “Ehm, I’m new here. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Nox.”

The leader of the group scoffed, “Oh, a new one around here? Then listen to me carefully. Leave the lake and never come back. This is not your place. Okay?”

Feeling defiant, I countered, “Sorry, but I can’t leave.”

He laughed, “Do you hear that? This guy is trying to tell us that we can’t make him leave our territory. What do you think we should do?”

One suggested, “Let’s tie him to a log and throw him down the river.”

The other added, “Let’s beat him up and then tie him on a log and throw him down the river.”

The leader agreed, “Oh, that’s a good one. We could do that.”

Before they could act, I launched my attack. I bit the leader in the neck and dragged him to the bottom of the lake. He groaned but didn't lose consciousness. My poison was slow-acting on him. His comrades tried to grab me, but I was quicker, easily dodging them. I waited for them to surface for air, knowing they couldn’t hold their breath as long as I could. When they did, I lunged at one of them, but the other one struck me with his tail. His spikes ripped through my chest, leaving deep, bleeding wounds. The venom weakened me further. However, I managed to poison the second one, who blacked out instantly. I clung to his lifeless body and stared at the remaining conscious one. I tried to make him understand that if he wanted his friends back, he had to listen to me. He didn't care and fought me instead. His strength overpowered my weakened state, and he won. He left me at the bottom of the lake, bleeding profusely. I wished I could shapeshift, but my overindulgence from the previous day prevented me from changing my form.

With a swift, powerful move, he dragged his brothers out of the water, oblivious to the danger lurking nearby. Siveth, the one he should have avoided, appeared on the shore. I spotted her from the middle of the lake as I surfaced, still recovering from the fight. Intrigued and wary, I surfaced and eavesdropped on their conversation.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

Feigning relief, he replied, “Oh, Siveth, thank goodness you’re here. Another Earth Dragon ambushed us. We need your help.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Another Earth Dragon? Who was it?”

He lied effortlessly. “I don’t know. We’ve never seen him before. He called himself Nox or something.”

She smirked. “Oh, really? I happen to know him. Where is he now?”

I couldn't hear his response, but a moment later, I witnessed all three of them being flung through the air like ragdolls, landing with a splash in the water. The third one was also poisoned, a gift from Siveth’s venom.

Unveiling myself in the waters, I expressed my gratitude to her. "I can't thank you enough. You successfully completed what they initiated."

She acknowledged my words with a nod, and inquired, "Did they cause you any harm?"

Emerging from the water, I revealed the slow-healing wounds they had inflicted upon me. She remarked, "I see they have. However, you managed to incapacitate two of them. Well done."

 

"I was on the verge of doing the same to the third," I confessed, "But he managed to poison me first. I don't like admitting defeat, but I did lose."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "No big deal." Then, she asked about our next steps. Inspired by their own intentions, I suggested a somewhat poetic justice. We tied all three of them to a massive log and cast them into the river's current. Their eventual awakening was inevitable, but the time and place remained a mystery. I couldn't help but chuckle at the situation, asking, "Isn't this amusing? Do you think they'll survive?"

"They probably will," she replied. "Earth dragons are notably resilient."

"But I poisoned them too," I reminded her.

"Even so," she explained, "They're Earth Dragons, just like you. The poison won't kill them. They'll recover eventually."

She then queried, "Are we staying here to wait for them?" I affirmed her question, and we made ourselves comfortable on the shore. While she relished the sun's warmth, I sought the water's cool respite to counter the heat that seemed to melt me. Then, an idea struck me: I decided to establish a vision connection with Akira to monitor their progress.

As expected, Akira detected my presence before I could utter a word. "Show yourself! I know you're there," she challenged. I reassured her, "It's only me, Nox. Don't worry." Her voice brightened as she greeted me, "Oh hi, Nox, how are you doing?" I replied, "I'm okay. Are you guys on your way? How much longer will it take?" She informed me, "We're taking a break right now, but we should be there in another day or two." I asked, "Great, have you reached the continent yet?" She confirmed, "Yes, we're about to reach the river and head your way." I expressed my anticipation, "Excellent, I can't wait. Have a good flight. The weather here is splendid today." Her voice revealed her concern, "Thanks. Wait, are you injured?" She had been seeing through my eyes. I downplayed my condition, "It's nothing major. Some poison is slowing down the healing process. We had a run-in with some bothersome Earth Dragons, but we've dealt with them." She wished me well, "Alright then. Rest up and enjoy yourself. Goodbye." With that, I ended the vision connection.

Turning to Siveth, I updated her, "They've reached the continent. They'll be here in two days." She was deeply engrossed in her sunbathing and responded with mild irritation, "Very well." Then I suggested, "What if we retrieve the log? I'd rather they didn't see it." She dismissed my concern, "Who cares? They'll just ignore it." I wasn't as confident, "I'm not sure they will." She then proposed, "Let's guide them to the next river bifurcation." We reached the log, where the three Earth Dragons were still tied up, showing visible signs of my attack. They were paralyzed, unable to speak or move. We redirected the log to the river bifurcation.

Upon reaching the bifurcation, she offered me a choice, "The first river is where your friends are likely to arrive from, so I'd avoid that. The second one leads to the ocean and features a waterfall. The last one is just an ordinary river. Which one do you choose?" I chose the third, not wanting to be considered a murderer. She was hoping I'd choose the second, so she questioned, "Are you sure?" I confirmed, "Yes, I am." She warned, "The third river has the strongest current. They'll probably reach the ocean by tomorrow. The second one has a waterfall, but after that, it's a slow and long river. Are you still sure?" I reassured her, "Yes. They have a better chance of survival in the ocean than falling down a waterfall. Thank you." She reluctantly agreed, "Very well. As you wish." We sent the log with the three Earth Dragons down the third river.

We continued to follow them, laughing at their helpless state. I asked Siveth if she knew them. She admitted she did and that she despised them. In a hushed tone, she confessed, "I may have killed one of their brothers a long time ago."

Taken aback, I asked, "Really?"

She affirmed, "Yes, he attacked me when I was young. He was larger and stronger, but I fought back and won."

"So, it was in self-defense?" I asked.

She shrugged, "Yes, I had no other choice."

I was at a loss for words. Then she added, "I snapped his spine at the neck. He died instantly."

I shivered, "I wish I didn't know that."

"I used the same technique on you the first time," she said.

I interrupted her, "Stop. I don't want to hear about it. You have no idea how much it hurt."

She replied, "That's how I deal with anyone who tries to harm me. It's my signature move."

Her words echoed in my ears, so I retorted, "How would you like it if I used that move on you? It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, especially since you're so proud of it."

She smirked, "Good luck with that."

I retorted, "I could even heal you afterward, so you could feel all the pain. That's even worse."

She frowned, "No thanks. Okay, I'm sorry. Please forgive me for that."

I replied, "I'll forgive you only if you teach me how to do it."

She said, "How can I teach you that? We don't have another… oh…"

Our target was an Earth Dragon, dormant and oblivious to our presence. We intended to inflict no lasting harm, only to practice a technique that I could heal afterward. We steered the log towards the shore, where I spotted their apparent leader. Pointing at him, I said, "Let's use him."

She agreed, lifting him up and demonstrating how to position oneself behind his neck. I followed her example, but he was slippery, so I dried him off and tried again. I asked, "Like this?"

"Yes, but be careful. If you do it wrong, you could break your own bones," she warned.

I felt a surge of tension as I prepared to strike. She asked, "Are you sure you want to do this? Or are you satisfied with just learning the theory?"

I hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, we're already here, so…" I bit him lightly with some poison to ensure he was still unconscious and wouldn't feel anything. He didn't react, but I waited a few minutes anyway. Then I snapped his neck with a loud crack. I gasped and let go of him, quickly healing him. A cloud of white smoke enveloped us. He was alive, but that was a horrible experience, even if he was not aware of it.

Siveth said, "Congratulations. You are the only one besides me who knows this technique. Please keep it a secret. I don't want to see Earth Dragons going around breaking each other’s spines like this. It should be my exclusive skill."

I added, "And mine too, eheh."

She glared at me and said, "I’m not joking."

I assured her, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Thank you for teaching me. You are a good teacher."

She said, "You're welcome. Now let's put them back in the water, shall we?"

"Of course," I agreed. We tied him back to the log with the others and let them drift away. We followed them for a while longer. We had nothing else to do.

As the day began to fade, she suggested, "It's getting late. We should head back now. Otherwise, we won't make it before nightfall."

I agreed, and we returned to our camp before dark. Erebus and Freya were still away on their mission. The camp seemed emptier without them. I spent the evening with Siveth and his brothers. Then, I retired to my hammock, alone this time. I felt a sense of emptiness and reverted to my original form. It felt odd to sleep in this form again. I was smaller, and Freya wasn't by my side. I already missed her.