That particular night, sleep eluded me, a restless struggle that stretched until dawn. The cacophony of noises from the outside world kept me awake, my senses on high alert. However, it wasn't the noise that disturbed me the most that night, but an unexpected visitor. Vexus, one of Siveth’s siblings, stealthily crept into my room, whispering into my ear.

“Apologies for the intrusion,” he began, “but there is something of importance I need to discuss with you.”

Blinking in surprise, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “What is it? And why are you drenched?”

“The rain outside,” he replied quickly. “Listen, Siveth is awake, and she hasn't stopped talking about you.”

I frowned, puzzled. “So? Why are you sharing this with me?”

He looked at me, his expression solemn. “I suspect she might harbor feelings for you.”

Casting nervous glances around, I hoped Siveth wasn't nearby. I beckoned Vexus to lean closer. As he did, I murmured in a hushed tone:

“Vexus, I am married. My heart belongs to Freya, and Freya alone. I apologize for your sister's predicament, but she cannot have what she desires.”

He nodded in understanding. “I am aware of that. That is the reason I came to warn you. She has never experienced love before. I am uncertain how she will react now. Exercise caution around her.”

I expressed my gratitude for his concern, and he assured me he and his other brother would intervene if Siveth became unruly. With that, he exited the room.

Hiding beneath a mound of blankets, I felt akin to a frightened child. Siveth was already volatile enough for my comfort. If she truly had feelings for me, I was headed for trouble. She would either despise me forever or, worse, attempt to kill me if I rejected her. But she knew I was committed to Freya. She wouldn't confess her feelings unless something happened to Freya. And nothing would happen to her, except for tonight. Tonight, I was alone.

My paranoia became reality when I heard another set of footsteps nearing my room. Swiftly, I morphed into a shadow and fled through an available exit. From a safe distance, I observed as Siveth entered my chambers, her gaze fixated on the blankets on my bed. She appeared confused, her curiosity evident as she tried to deduce my whereabouts. She remained there for hours, her silence and stillness unsettling. It was the most eerie spectacle I had ever witnessed.

Eventually, she withdrew, returning to her own place. She seemed more akin to a sleepwalker rather than an awake dragon. I ensured she was asleep before reentering my room, hoping the night would pass without any further surprises. I desperately needed rest.

As morning arrived, I sensed her presence before even opening my eyes. She was observing me again, patiently waiting for me to awaken. Deciding to have a bit of fun, I transformed into a shadow and slipped out of the blankets unnoticed. Her attention was drawn to the moving blankets, and she greeted the empty bed with a cheerful, “Hello, good morning, Noxi.” I was already outside by then, watching her converse with the deserted bed, attempting to maintain a casual demeanor. I called out to her, “What are you doing?” Startled, she stuttered, “What? How? But I… saw this moving, nothing!” I left her behind, joining her brothers who were awake and watching from afar. I asked them, “How long has she been observing me?” Canine responded, “Not long. We woke up before her. By the way, nice move with the shadow thing.” I replied, “Thanks. Um, do you have any suggestions on how to avoid her?” They proposed, “We could go and gather some fruit.” I concurred and morphed into a shadow again, reaching the fruit trees before them. Siveth was nowhere in sight. Although I wasn't hungry, I stayed close to them, my fear palpable. I passed the time chatting with them, a welcome distraction from my concerns.

I reached out to Akira by establishing another vision connection, interrupting her morning peace. "Apologies for the intrusion, Akira," I began, a hint of uncertainty creeping into my voice. "Are you... oh?" Through her eyes, I caught a glimpse of the river fork and heard her say, "I think we're almost there." A smile tugged at my lips as I responded, "You're doing very well, I see. We'll catch up along the way. See you soon! Farewell for now."

Closing the connection, I turned to my companions, "Gentlemen, I'm headed to the lake. I'll catch up with you later." They wished me well, and with a powerful leap, I took to the sky, soaring as high as I could, in search of the SunFlares. It didn't take long. Soon enough, I spotted them and flew silently to their side. Unable to contain my excitement, I shouted, "Welcome back!"

Fyrenthos, caught off guard, jerked his head towards me and stammered, "Hi, I didn't see you coming." Akira chimed in, her tone nonchalant, "He just used his cursed element. Nothing exceptional." I rolled my eyes and retorted, "Could you be a little less snarky, perhaps?" She shrugged and said, "What? Can't I state the obvious? Anyway, hi."

Seeing them again filled me with joy. I remarked, "I'm so happy to see you both again. And I see you've amassed quite a lot of loot. Need any help with that?" They glanced at their heavy load, and Akira said, "You can take mine, please." I obliged, eager to lend a hand, and said, "No problem. Please follow me. Let's head to the lake. Also, Erebus and Freya are off on a lesson, as he called it. Today, it's just me and some Earth Dragons."

Her interest piqued, Akira said, "Oh, Earth Dragons, yes, I know some of them." I asked, "Do you know Siveth, Vexus, and Canine?" She gave me a blank look. "Who?" I said, "Oh, I thought you knew them. Perhaps you'll meet them later."

We reached the lake, and she observed, "This place looks different than the one I saw in our vision connection." I explained, "This is just the meeting point. The village was before." She asked, "And why didn't we go there?" I confessed, "Well, there's an Earth Dragon named Siveth who may have a crush on me, and I'm not sure how to handle that, so I'd rather avoid her for now."

Her laughter rang out, filling the air. "What? An Earth Dragon in love with a married shadow dragon? That's hilarious." Fyrenthos interjected, "Akira, please. This isn't a laughing matter." She quickly said, "I know, it's just funny. If I were Freya and I knew that, I'd drag you away from anyone who loves you by force." I said, "I think she would do exactly that or worse. She might even challenge her to a duel. But I wouldn't let that happen."

She steered the conversation in a new direction, asking, "You've resumed your lessons with Erebus, right?" I nodded in affirmation, "Yes, I have." Her eyebrows shot up as she asked, "What did he teach you this time? Any new elements or the same old stuff?" I smiled and began to recount everything I had learned, from shapeshifting into an Earth Dragon or a Water Dragon, to customizing my appearance, to swimming with Freya on my back.

She gasped, "You really gave Freya a ride as an Earth Dragon?" I confirmed, "Yes, I did. You have no idea how powerful an Earth Dragon is." She smirked, "Oh, I have some idea. I've met them before." Intrigued, I asked her to share more. She recounted how she and Fyrenthos had encountered Earth Dragons in the jungle, although they weren't captured like me. Instead, they were told to leave the jungle. However, Akira refused to comply and challenged them to a fight. Together, she and Fyrenthos managed to defeat them and escape.

A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes as she asked, "Can you show me your Earth Dragon form?" Obliging, I transformed into the massive creature. She nodded, "Yep, that's how I remember them." Fyrenthos added, "It's strange to see you like this." I chuckled, "You're not the first one to say that."

Akira then requested, "How about the Water Dragon?" I shifted into the sleek blue form, and she exclaimed, "Just as I expected. You do look good, though." I thanked her and said, "That's rare of you to say. You don't usually give compliments." She was quick to defend herself, "That's not true." But Fyrenthos agreed with me and said, "It is true. You hardly ever give compliments." She looked offended and retorted, "You're both wrong." We were tempted to laugh at her expression, but we held back to avoid upsetting her further.

I challenged her with a smirk, "Did you know that the poison of an Earth Dragon can block your elements?" She scoffed in response. "No, that’s impossible."

I nodded solemnly, "Believe me, I thought the same thing until I was bitten. It locks a good part of my powers, somehow."

She eyed me skeptically, "Prove it then." I raised an eyebrow, "I should bite you then. Are you sure?" She pointed at Fyrenthos, "Bite him."

Fyrenthos immediately protested, "No, I won’t be your stupid test subject," and tried to escape. However, Akira grabbed him and immobilized him.

 

"Come on, I want to see that. I’m sure he’s wrong," she said. His plea echoed in the air, "No, I still don’t want to be bitten and poisoned."

I added, "Yeah, and I wouldn’t want to bite him either." She snapped, "Alright, I guess you were lying then." I insisted, "No, I swear, it’s true."

"Then prove it. I’m holding him for you," she retorted. Fyrenthos cried out, "No, let me go!". He was clearly terrified, but he couldn’t free himself without hurting her.

"Fine, brace yourself then. I’ll try to make it as painless as possible," I said. He surrendered to her will, and I shapeshifted into an Earth Dragon.

I checked that my fangs were sharp. Fyrenthos saw them and said, "Oh no, that’s going to hurt." I replied, "I’ve been bitten multiple times, and yeah, I can’t deny that. I’m sorry."

As I approached him slowly, his panic heightened. But Akira was enjoying his fear and kept saying, "Oh, don’t worry, my dear." Fyrenthos begged, "No, please."

Then, in front of him, I wrapped him in my coils and said, "Akira, let him go. From now on, I’ll handle this." She replied with a grin, "Uhuh, I can’t wait."

I kept him totally still in my grip. His heartbeat was rapid, he was petrified. I said softly, "Don’t worry, it’s just a demonstration." He echoed the same words I said to Siveth, "Okay, fine, please make it quick."

But I didn’t act like her. I just aimed where to bite, not too close to the head and closer to the wings, where I knew it hurt less. He screamed in pain, "Aaah, it hurts! Even more than I expected."

I made sure to inject as little poison as possible. Later, while I was still holding him gently, he said, "Ouch, it burns everywhere." I said, "You’re damn right that it does. Anyway, try using your fire element now. Don’t worry about me."

He tried, but he couldn’t. Akira said, "You aren’t even trying. Come on." He shouted, "I am. It’s really locked. Wow, I can’t believe this." I added, "I told you," but Akira wasn’t still convinced and said, "No, you’re both acting. Let him go."

I let him go, then asked, "Do you need me to heal you?" He replied, "Oh yeah, please." So I said, "One second, please," and I healed him.

Akira looked at me in disbelief. “I need to see this for myself. Come on, bite me,” she demanded.

“Really? Are you sure about this?” I asked, hesitating.

She nodded firmly. “I’ve never been more certain. Come on, do it.”

I sighed. “Alright, as you wish.” I reached for her, but she stopped me.

“No, hands down, just bite,” she instructed.

I shook my head. “It’s better not. I need to be precise. Besides, it’s like a nice hug, and I’d love to give you a hug after a month of almost believing that you were dead.”

She smiled faintly. “Okay, that’s nice to hear, but still… fine.” She let me hold her. She was completely calm. Her heartbeat was normal, so I asked again, “Are you sure?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, move on and do it properly. I don’t care about the pain.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That’s not something you’d like to experience.”

She said “Shut up and do it.”. So I obliged. I aimed, this time closer to the head, and bit. I kept biting for several seconds. It looked painful, but she didn’t move an inch and didn’t react. Then I let go. I looked at the wound I just made, and it went a bit deep. Each one of my teeth that pierced her, including the fangs, was visible.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

"A bit, but it’s nothing for me," she answered nonchalantly.

I said, "Remarkable. Are you sure you’re going to make it? I’m afraid that I may have used a bit too much poison."

She tried touching her neck, but she was immobilized by me. So, I freed her arm and let her touch it. While doing so, I was making sure that her heartbeat didn’t slow too much. I didn’t want her to die because of me.

She then said, "Ok, now it’s starting to hurt. It’s like when Fyrenthos tried to put me on fire."

He replied, "I’m sorry."

I asked, "Can you please check your element to see if it’s still working now?"

She tried summoning the light sword, but nothing happened. Suddenly, her emotions totally changed, and she tried again, but nothing. It was locked.

She then said with a trembling voice, "I can’t believe this."

I replied, "I told you, I wasn’t joking when I said that I thought of being dead when I got bitten at my first encounter with the Earth Dragons."

She replied, "Okay, I believe you. Fyrenthos, are your elements back?"

He tried to use them, and he was now on fire. He then said, "Yeah, they’re fine."

She said, "Then it’s just temporary."

I replied, "Don’t jump to conclusions that I already told you about. Of course it is. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to do this."

As Akira continued her hypnotic trance, I observed her neck gradually darkening. Though she appeared oblivious to the discomfort, her wildly fluctuating heartbeat was a clear indication of distress. It would accelerate, then almost cease, before racing once more. This erratic behavior was concerning, prompting me to query, “Akira, are you certain you’re alright?” Her response was a slurred, “Yeahhhhh, suuure, I’m fine,” a tone eerily reminiscent of my own intoxicated state when Siveth had once bitten me with an excessive amount of venom. "Oh no, not you too!" I exclaimed.

Fyrenthos, puzzled, asked, “What’s happening?” I gently released Akira, but kept her within arm's reach. “I must heal her immediately,” I declared, gesturing towards her neck. Upon seeing the necrotic flesh, he grimaced, “Ugh, that’s bad.” “You think? It’s rotten,” I retorted. Placing my hand on the wound, similar to how I had healed Freya, I channelled my elemental energy to mend her. She fell into a deep slumber in my arms, but at least she appeared rejuvenated and healthy post-treatment.

Fyrenthos, still perplexed, questioned, “Is this normal?” I replied, “Yeah, it happened to me too after a similar experience.” He then asked, “What do we do?” I answered, “We keep an eye on her until she regains consciousness. It’s going to take some time. I’m sorry.” He further queried, “Why didn’t that happen to me?” I elaborated, “I didn’t administer the same amount of venom, nor did I bite you so close to your head. I bit her quite severely. I’m sorry.” He attempted to console me, “Don’t worry, she asked for it. You did exactly what she wanted you to do.” Despite his comforting words, I confessed, “Thanks, but I still feel guilty. She reacted just like I did, and I know how painful it was. I’m sorry, Akira,” I whispered, as I cradled her sleeping form.

The arrival of Siveth brought more conversation. Upon seeing two new dragons, one of which was asleep, she greeted, “Oh hi, you’re the ones Noxi mentioned? Oh, I see your mistress is exhausted. Hey, little dragon, wake up!” She attempted to rouse Akira, prompting Fyrenthos to yell, “Hey, hey, stop. She isn’t merely sleeping.” Siveth paused and examined Akira, then voiced her doubt, “Mmmm, she looks fine to me. What’s wrong with her?” I explained, “I’ve already healed her, but prior to that, she requested I bite her to test if venom could neutralize the elements, and this was the result.”

Siveth was eager to know more, so we recounted the event. “Oh, you did the same thing; you were…” she began, but I interrupted, “I’ve already told him. We're familiar with the story. Thank you.” She responded, “Alright, Noxi.” Annoyed, I retorted, “And stop referring to me as Noxi. Nobody calls me that.” She replied, “Why not? It sounds good, Noxi. Nice Noxi.“ I snapped back, “That’s the point. It doesn’t! Stop!”