The others remained fixed in rapt attention, while Drake’s words lingered in my mind. It was an impending threat, and it was coming because of . I placed a steady hand on his shoulder, offered a small nod, and quietly stepped back, leaving the others behind as I slipped into the forest’s deep shade.
I needed silence. A place to think. To breathe. To train.
Behind , Bristle’s paws rustled through the undergrowth, and the serpent’s scales whispered faintly against the soil as both decided to follow, making my attempt at a stealthy escape anything but subtle. Still, with a glance back and an exchange of smiles, the others said nothing.
I soon found what I sought: a small clearing tucked within the tropical foliage, humid air waving through my nostrils.
The serpent coiled at the edge, black scales rippling with slow pulses of crimson light, its tongue flicking rhythmically in and out, tasting the air. Bristle, in contrast, stopped just long enough to look at then launched himself forward, barreling into my chest and plopping squarely into my lap, tail whipping like a fan.
“Alright, alright—good boy.” My arms circled around his warm body, pressing gently against his sides to settle him down. The pressure worked; he relaxed with a rumbling sigh, and I brushed my hand along his flank, drawing out a low, contented growl.
“Extraction, huh?” I murmured, my fingers moving absently over his fur as he panted, tongue lolling without care. “How can sothing like you wield elents?” I sighed, the edge of envy slipping into my tone at the beast’s effortless talent.
You shouldn’t dwell on the danger so much, Wyrem’s voice resonated suddenly, nearly making jump. You and your allies are evolving. Focus only on ensuring that no one can stand against your collective strength.
His advice carried weight, but it did little to ease the tension tightening in my chest. When I’d fought Sei, every ounce of power I had amounted to nothing. Not a mark, or a single scratch. Against soone like him, what did numbers even an?
A hundred ants couldn’t dent a boot. Even if they grew slightly larger. Then again… if an ant grew to the size of my foot, and there were a hundred of them—yeah, that’d be a nightmare worth fearing.
I glanced down at my pup. His tail slowed, his eyes half-lidded as sleep tugged at him. Luna, you could absorb multiple elents, right? Back when you started cultivating?
She tightened around my wrist, her ntal voice lazy and drowsy, stretching into a yawn. Yeeah. It wasn’t even on purpose.
She was rare though, exceptional, as Wyrem would say. Bristle wasn’t likely the sa, but still… couldn’t he grow the way I had? Form a core, then absorb a new elent? Through , it should be possible, right?
I’m going to enter this guy’s head, I told them both, determination hardening my tone.
When you’re done, I’d like a word with the baby dragon, Wyrem replied. If you could—
Invite too! Luna cut in sharply, her voice bright with boredom. I need sothing to do besides training.
Sure, I’ll get everyone, I said, already deciding to include the mutt. Maybe he could even speak in there.
Without another word, I pressed my palm against Bristle’s thick fur, channeling Beast Force, and sending it into his body. His tail froze mid-wag, ears twitching as the energy spread.
I closed my eyes, and when they opened again, I saw from an entirely new vantage point. But I didn’t linger on the disorienting view through Bristle’s senses; instead, I sent my awareness deeper, diving into his consciousness.
What I found there stunned .
A core.
Not of Nature Force, but Water.
Had Bristle ever ford one of Natural Force before? He knew the process, technically, but I didn’t rember ever completing it for him. Maybe instinct had guided him this far. Either way, it was sothing I’d have to watch closely from now on.
First, I drew out every trace of his remaining Inner Force, extracting it completely until the energy hung like faint vapor before . I shaped it into temporary cores, and let them dissolve one by one into nothingness. Only then did I reach inward to summon my own sensation: the attunent to Fire Force.
It didn’t take long before the fiery essence responded, threading through the air before seeping into him. The process ca easily, and once it was done, I withdrew my consciousness from his body, returning to my own with a faint shiver of disconnection.
I turned toward the serpent, debating how one was supposed to summon a creature like that. “Uh… hey! Snake,” I half-called, half-yelled, my voice echoing awkwardly through the clearing. “Can you co here?”
It reacted imdiately, uncoiling, scales sliding over soil as it slithered toward . I placed one hand on its cold, muscular form and the other on Bristle’s fur, channeling four synchronized waves of Beast Force through both. A pulse of pressure burst through my temples, leaving behind a dull ache as reality folded inward.
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The world slipped away. Everything collapsed into the familiar nothingness of that shared inner space where four lights shimred faintly, each pulsing with quiet life. It reminded of my own Inner World, though this felt broader, emptier… a hollow chamber with no seed to anchor it.
Ti for the first test.
“Bristle?” I called.
The green light to my left flickered, and a rough-edged voice answered. It was simple, but undeniably real.
“Warm.”
“YES! I KNEW IT! YOU’RE SMART!” I burst out, elation flooding .
“Warm. Scratches?” ca the gruff reply.
“Doesn’t sound that smart,” Luna muttered dryly, her tone slicing through my excitent. “Pretty sure he just wants you to keep petting him.”
I didn’t care. The fact that he understood anything at all was monuntal. “You’re such a good boy,” I said warmly, my words swelling with pride. The green glow brightened… and then abruptly dimd, vanishing from sight.
“Uh—what? Where’d he go?” I asked, glancing around the void.
The red light opposite hissed, its tone sharp and slithering. “Not a ssstrong enough mind.”
A low chuckle emanated from the earthy glow that marked Wyrem’s presence. “Perhaps when he grows stronger, Peter.”
Progress, however small, was still progress. “I’ve got a question for you,” I said, turning my attention to the red light.
The serpent didn’t respond, though I could feel its focus.
“The new technique,” I continued, “from the man. Did you understand it?”
“To take life force?” it replied smoothly. “Intersting. Quite similar to your irritating friend’s thod.”
“Eating your prey to absorb their power is totally different!” Wyrem protested, his voice rising, making jolt with sudden realization. He’d once ntioned his thod wasn’t quite the sa as , but based on sothing else entirely. But with extraction?
“You knew about Animora the whole ti?!” Luna’s voice cracked through the void. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
I wasn’t sure if she ant to learn it herself, but I appreciated her outrage all the sa.
“It is not the sa,” Wyrem repeated with firm irritation. “First: you need wings, and the bloodline of dragons, to even attempt it.”
Of course it’s wings, I thought grimly.
“Second,” he went on, “you must consu your prey entirely. Similar, but far from identical. Now—” His dark, earthen glow shifted, turning toward the serpent’s crimson fla. “This ti, I have sothing of true value to offer.”
“Not interested,” the serpent replied instantly, venomous amusent lacing its tone. “Last ti you shared your so-called wisdom, it was useless. I. Don’t. Have. Wings.”
“This is fun,” Luna chid in, her multicolored light shimring in laughter.
Before the chaos spiraled further, I cut in, raising my voice. “Wait. I have a question, or I guess, a request.”
Sensing my intent, the serpent preempted , its tone calm. “Keep aiding my growth,” it said. “And don’t drain so much that my training halts. Those are my terms. If your progress cos slow, so be it.”
My soul-light flared with surprise. I hadn’t expected such swift acceptance. “Thank you,” I said sincerely.
“AND I’LL SWEETEN THE DEAL!” Wyrem thundered, as if the bargain hadn’t already been sealed. “YOU CAN TAKE ONE STEP CLOSER TO TRUE DRAGONHOOD! I CAN GIVE YOU WINGS!”
His voice rolled through the void with commanding grandeur, far louder and prouder than usual.
Wings? Was he was serious.
“Can I grow them?” Luna blurted, her voice bursting with excitent. “I’ll be a Rose Dragon!”
The void fell silent at her proclamation. For several heartbeats, none of us spoke. Even the lights themselves seed to dim, as if stunned by the absurd sincerity of her wish. Finally, Wyrem’s glow pulsed again.
“I believe you’re already capable of growing wings, aren’t you?” he asked, amusent curling faintly beneath his calm.
A pause, then Luna’s sheepish tone followed. “Oh, yeah…” She sounded almost embarrassed. “But I like the na. And you said dragons are the most powerful beings in existence. How could I be stronger than one unless I beco one?”
Her question trembled with uncertainty.
Wyrem’s tone softened, his next words almost tender. “You think you’re not the exception? A creature like you needs no borrowed bloodline. You are power incarnate. Dragons have only held the crown until now. After all, even they…”
He trailed off.
Again, that fleeting emotion slipped through him. But, whatever mory stirred in him, he chose to bury it. And I didn’t press. If Wyrem wished to unveil those fragnts of his past, he would do so in his own ti.
“Anyway!” he declared suddenly, tone brightening with forced enthusiasm. “You should be ecstatic! Imagine the ocean’s bounty awaiting you. Every creature, every morsel. You will fly, feast, and evolve beyond recognition!”
“I have evolved,” the serpent replied dryly, its voice edged with annoyance.
Their banter continued. Wyrem’s booming laughter, the serpent’s curt retorts, and Luna’s occasional interjections that made no sense. I smiled, then felt sothing brush against my arm.
The problem was, I didn’t have an arm here.
“Ow…” I muttered, confusion turning to alarm as a dull ache began to pulse through the phantom limb. “Ow—OW!”
Pain flared. My awareness snapped back. My eyes flew open, breath sharp, sweat beading down my temples. The ache sharpened into a stabbing burn, and then I saw why.
Bristle’s jaws were clamped around my forearm, teeth sunk deep enough to draw blood. His eyes were wide, wild with desperation, a whimper trapped beneath his growl.
But before I could speak, another sensation crept in. A chill like frost sliding around my waist. Sothing grabbed my collar. Another skeletal arm, pale and bony, thrust out from a gaping portal behind , its fingers digging into my side and pulling.
“Wha—?” I managed to gasp, summoning Force too late.
With a violent yank, the world shifted. My body jerked backward. Bristle howled and dug in his paws, pulling with every ounce of strength he had. For a heartbeat, it almost worked, and he held there, straining against the pull.
Then the void split open wider. Another pull from beyond it.
Both of us were dragged through.
The last image that burned into my sight was the serpent’s eyes snapping open before the world shattered into chaos and swallowed everything whole.
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