FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 4

He was on his back, lying on the surprisingly comfy for its modest look bed, his big feathery wings were sprawled across the mattress, some of the feathers were even sticking out past the bed frame, its dimensions too small to house the entire length of his wings.

Hind legs kept stretching and curling alternately, sending a shuffling sound across the bed sheets while the green claws on the forelegs kept toying with a small red gem which after a short caress was juggled to the second paw just to return the same way after a while.

The crystal sent a short bolt of glimmer whenever it was switching paws, he even put on his goggles to prevent the blink from irritating the eyes. This gem was all the fun he had here so there was no other way but to make it work or he would die of boredom.

Spirit Gem they called it.

He had no idea why, it did not smell of alcohol, nor did it remind a ghost, it was a solid, small rock, but shiny. All the dragons of this time use them they said, for healing and power and stuff, naturally it did not work for him, he wasn't surprised though, all this powerful abilities felt like Shaper kind of level and he wasn't delusional to aspire so high.

If this thing really worked and the Shapers in the Shade and beyond the Havoc had crystals like this little thing in their possession, when they knew how to channel them, then it was no surprise they were so mighty.

Having a boost such like that felt like cheating.

And cheating always ends badly.

He tapped against the star shaped medallion.

Isn't that right sis?

It seems even creatures as powerful as the Shapers paid the price, he was here after all while they are locked in a place of constant struggle with the Chimeras and their pet Wretched, while he is in a world where not only people look at him as if he was some sort of a holy symbol, but also there are no weird, ugly monsters running around trying to eat you.

He snatched the crystal as it made another round in the air. Grinning he gave it an arrogant glare.

See shiny thing? I don't need you.

He clenched his paw into a fist, claws strongly pressing against the crystal.

Get lost you-

"Ouch!" Cloudas yelped, body arching and his arrogant fist immediately opening, letting the gem fall under the bed

His palm was bleeding, he cut himself on the sharp edge.

"You little shit!" he hissed, pressing the hurt paw against his mouth, sucking on the blood

His feathers bristled when suddenly he heard soft knocking upon the door, the handle however was pressed before he could even answer.

"And here he is" the feline healer entered the room, smiling from ear to ear "My last adventurer, hello"

"Hello Miss" he let out a muffled hiss, lips still occupied by the scales on his paw

"I've told you darling to call me by my name. Amela"

"You always call me sweet names though" he rearranged the lips on the paw

The healer shrugged, shutting the door behind her.

"You can't change the habits of an old cat. Tricks once learned can't be forgotten, body aches but the mind remembers"

"Okay" the paw popped out of his mouth, he glanced at the wet scales, lifting the goggles, opening up fully his wrinkled nose

"Piece of crap"

Amela's ears stiffened in alarm.

"What is wrong, are you hurt?"

"I just scratched my-"

"Show me"

He yelped when his leg was yanked suddenly, for someone who calls herself old, the cheetah moved through the room swiftly and without a sound. The cheetah was examining his paw from all sides even before he could gather up a breath properly to say what is going on after he was interrupted.

She shook her head in disappointment.

"Boys are always so reckless" the healer swiftly pressed a gauze against the wound, warm smile stretching her lips "I see that the absorption did not go as planned"

"I think you lied to me"

There was a blink in the brown eyes that made him choke, the lips were still stretched in a smile, yet that look, he could feel it slicing his throat.

His lack of tact will one day get him killed.

"I don't lie to my patients" the voice coming out from the wrinkled neck was strong and stern, at the brink of turning hostile even at the sight of the most delicate of provocations.

Cloudas licked his lips uneasily.

"It did not work, no magic boom or anything. The gem looks like a worthless rock to me"

"I must admit, you are the first dragon I see that hurt himself holding a healing crystal" the healer wrapped a bandage around the gauze, tying it around his paw

The drake hissed in slight discomfort when the cheetah tugged at the material, she obviously put much more strength than needed, on purpose irritating the wound.

She was teaching him a lesson.

He understood the signs clearly, the cheetah wasn't the first that did it.

She was however the most sentimental one. At least for now.

"I'm skeptical to the healing properties of magic, nevertheless your kind prospers from it, it is most peculiar to see one such as you showing indifference to it. Did you really felt nothing at all?"

The wind dragon shook his head, slowly dragging the bandaged paw away, closely watching the cheetah as if she was an overgrown fly to be spooked any second now.

"Nothing tried to heal me"

"Any discomfort? Nausea, or the like?"

"Nothing, total zero. No bad or good"

Amela straightened up, scratching at her earing, lately the cases she was treating started to become really odd. From dragons sharing their bodies with magical entities to those that get truly sick by having contact with Spirit Gems. In the middle of it all there was this feathery dragon, completely ignorant to the powers that supposed to be the life force of dragonkind.

She was too old to be fascinated by it all, radical changes stirred nothing but worry in her. When she was just a young healer new cases never met before were exciting, it was always an opportunity to learn. Right now new discoveries didn't interest her, she despised them in fact, they broke her routine and the fall from habit meant only an increase in risk that threatened the lives of her patients.

"Is it bad that I can't ingest the stuff?"

The question made her ears perk in attention, ruining her train of thought. She blinked, the gears in her head started to grind, thinking, searching for an explanation.

By the Ancestors, she was too old for this.

"Breathe for me" she finally said when the turning gears of focus clicked

Cloudas frowned, brow raising in bewilderment.

"What?"

"Your elemental magic, show me how you do it. A tiny gust will be enough"

The dragon gulped, nervously pulling at the tuft of feathers on his cheek.

"I'm kinda....shy"

Amela frowned, folding the arms under her breasts, her stiff tail flicking gently, jerking as if it was tugged by invisible strings.

"Not so long ago you were throwing accusations without merit quite lightly. You are anything but shy darling"

He chuckled nervously, scratching himself fervently as if he wanted to peel his own scales off.

"I-I-I don't want to hurt you accidently"

"I'm a feline, I know how to dodge don't worry".

"It's-It's...ummm" he knocked at his fins, like he would expect them to send a pulse to his brain, demanding it gives him any good idea so he can get out of this

"Dangerous" he licked his lips, looking everywhere but not at the cheetah "Wind-Wind is wild"

"I've dealt with many young patients in my life, I know how to handle unbridled energy"

"But this is a re-"

"This instant darling" Amela stomped her foot, making the drake whine softly, clearly showing that there was no longer room for poor excuses "Breathe Wind"

Cloudas gulped, second later he took a deep breath to the point of it puffing out his cheeks and chest and then with an ungraceful gasp he released it all at once with a squeaky whizz.

The dragon shrunk visibly when he exhaled all this air.

Amela's clothes barely even ruffled.

"Nice try, I might be old darling, but I'm not senile"

"Okay listen" the dragon groaned, smacking both forepaws against the bed in defeat "I can't use my elemental magic, alright?"

"And why is that?"

"I..." he bit his tongue, crumpling the tuft of feathers on his shoulder "...don't want to talk about it"

The moment she noticed the dragon's discomfort all of her commanding, serious aura dispersed, making the ears flatten on her head. The young boy was quite rude, not the first stubborn case she had to deal with, patients like that required a serious touch to make them listen.

Healing however was never about challenge, the first sight of nervousness was always a clue to her to back away and entirely enter full support mode. Mental comfort is always part of the recovery process.

"I do not need to know the circumstances what caused this blockage. As a healer all I'm interested in is your condition, I must know if your condition is a threat to your life, does it cause you any pain? Limit you in other ways besides the obvious? Have you become allergic? Bones more brittle? Perhaps something entirely else affects you that can endanger your well-being?"

"No, no" Cloudas shook his head confidently "Nothing of that sort, I'm perfectly healthy and still can smell flowers without choking. It's a little more complicated than that"

The healer nodded.

"I understand, but if you need anything sweety, you can talk to me. Counsel can be as helpful as any medicine and I have many years behind my belt, I'm certain that I would be able to assist you. I'm an open book, you just need to ask"

"Really? Like anything?"

Amela giggled.

"Anything, I chose this profession for patients like you after all"

Cloudas spun the chain of his toy medallion around his toe, this time building enough courage to look at the cheetah.

"Even questions unrelated to medicine?"

"Yes, but I cannot promise I'll answer them, my area of expertise is limited"

"Why aren't you freaking out when you look at me?"

Amela cocked her head, one ear dropping in the same direction, warm smile from earlier not leaving her lips.

"Why would I do such a thing? I've seen all sorts of body types, many of them were ruined, I hadn't flinch then so there's no reason I should do now, especially when little effort was required to patch you up. The condition you arrived here with was a dream come true compared to other cases we had to deal with after this ugly affair we had in our city"

"I guess that partially answers my question" the drake scratched his cheek thoughtfully "What I meant exactly though was that you don't act weird or surprised when seeing me, a wind dragon. The Guardians lost their heads and the yellow one kept talking so fast that I didn't understand a word, his mouth was moving even when they dragged him away from me! Not to mention the weird looks people gave me as if I would be a ghost. Why people are so interested in me when you got three Shapers running around the city?"

Amela shook her head.

"I'm not the best of examples, I lived a long time, had seen your kind, many people didn't though. In this world your specie had faced genocide, you are the first wind dragon to walk this earth in years. Many people saw your kind only in books and imagined them through stories"

Cloudas' eyes widened, the bravado was gone totally, replaced by instinctive fear.

"Wind dragons were killed off?"

"Sadly yes, but it's only terrible history now, you don't have to worry for your life, times have changed we are no longer in war. You are as safe as you can be"

This were terrible news, news that made him nervous, not even his original timeline faced such horrors and the world there had to deal with the Wretched and rumored hostility between the Shapers with powers strong enough to shape the landscape. He couldn't even begin to imagine the scale of conflict this universe had to gone through to wipe a race from the face of the earth completely.

He swallowed deeply.

He was one of a kind now and who knows, maybe there is someone out there still craving for wind dragon's blood.

This world stopped being so perspective now.

"Why they were killed off? It was the price for losing the war?"

Amela shrugged.

"No, they fought together with the rest of the world and in the end our alliance had won. Unfortunately nobody knows how exactly the war led to the genocide of the wind dragons, some even say that your kind was the main target of the war. All the theories we hear are merely speculations though. There are historians looking into it, coming up with new theories all the time, but until there is no solid evidence supporting the claims our world had accepted the simplest of explanations. Wind dragons were the terrible casualty of a catastrophe that is war, a grim memento for everyone, reminding us all that lunges for unspeakable power demand a high price to pay"

"Whoa" Cloudas gasped "That's big. An entire specie, gone" he gulped "Guess here I'll be popular like the Shapers"

The healer frowned, there were hardly things in this world that made her confused, after all these years on this earth, especially in a hospital she was familiar with probably all existing curse and disease names, all victims and scapegoats.

She will probably get used to the fact that new terms to learn are incoming with the all this time traveling process speeding up.

"Who are these Shapers you keep mentioning?"

"Oh yeah!" he giggled "I keep forgetting that we're not in my world anymore. Shapers are the purple and black dragons, they are really important from where I come from. Their power can influence the world they say, seen some examples myself that could vouch for that theory, hence the name-Shapers"

Amela smiled.

"Seems our worlds aren't that different after all. Here purple and black dragons are also important and special"

"But you guys live next to them! Spyro and Cynder seem so cool and nice, I mean they didn't look down on me, treating me as equal instead. In my time the Shapers, while mostly not bad and mean like this Iris chick, made sure that people knew where the border of importance was, when they spoke everyone listened. Here I feel I could even argue with Spyro and Cynder and they wouldn't punish me for that"

"Yes" the cheetah said with a delicate nod, her smile stretched and eyes glistened as if tears would build up in them.

Cloudas could feel almost motherly pride radiating from the feline. It was such a pleasant aura, he barely remembered how it felt.

"You couldn't find better examples that will redefine your understanding of the Shapers. This couple is something special and if you keep them company you will soon understand why yourself"

The dragon's eyes widened, pupils losing their focus, staring somewhere into the distance where he could see himself besides the Shapers as they changed the world. He wasn't stupid enough to believe he would have any play in this, those breed of dragons can manage things on their own, he will be merely there to observe as the events unfold, not pretending to be someone important like the Guardians.

Not very ambitious many would say, but if was enough for him, it beats being a runaway and that's what mattered the most. Maybe for the first time in a long while he will know how it feels to live without the burden of consequence of wrong decisions. Even if he would make a mistake again, Spyro and Cynder will be there to deflect the vengeful strike of Fate.

His youthful mistakes were mostly caused by that nagging hunger for adventure, or simple curiosity, always pushing for something he should never put his claws on to just be able to witness some of those events heard in rumors.

All this mistakes just to avoid boredom.

Now he doesn't have to do anything, no longer reach for the impossible since the ones capable of doing the impossible were right here, Flare even considered him a friend already. He was included in the group that the Shapers lead, with them around the world he could only imagine in his head will play out in front of his eyes.

And he won't be a silent, invisible ghost here either, while not so important like the respected two special dragons, people will still notice him and that alone guarantees his presence in the upcoming events.

All that was left was to wonder what amazing things the Shapers can do.

Whatever it could be in the end, he was certain that sooner or later everyone will feel the decision in their own bones.

*

"I'm not a babysitter you can order around!" Ignus roared, the flame on his tail tip burst with fresh flames aggressively "One compliment and I already see you forgot your place!"

Danox sat in front of the yelling dragon, smiling cheerfully.

"My dear Guardian, I would never think about using you"

"Shove your insufferable audacity up your ass boy!" the red dragon thrust his claw forward, poking the black dragon in the center of his gold chest

"Patience provoked turns to fury" the black drake recited loftily

Ignus' entire snout got wrinkled by a deep frown, advanced age clearly showing on the cracked not so intensely colored scales. Due to anger he didn't realize when the paw that not so long ago touched the annoying boy landed on the back of his head where it scratched the bony extensions.

He was already a toy in a game before, swore he would never get himself dragged into another one and yet here he was, tied by the obligations given to the Guardians, ending like a bitch on a leash in the paws of this black fucker.

Both of them knew that he couldn't stop him, Danox was a legendary black dragon in his prime, at least he looked like one, while he was an old wreck who spent most of his time fighting, both physically and mentally, long time ago exceeding the tolerance level of even a draconic body.

He was decadence and the only thing keeping this boy here was the black dragon's own will.

This job was an unending taunt from the start.

"What did I tell you about quotes? You will stop using them you hear?!"

"But why would I my undeviating escort? Wisdom of the old is such a wonderful tease, no predator gives up a working bait willingly"

"Stop bullshitting me! We both know you do it to provoke me!"

Danox grinned, eyes sparkling, Ignus instinctively tugged at the bones sticking out of his head, one claw scratched at it so fervently that it began grinding a piece of the surface into dust.

How he hated hearing this boy laugh, every time it happened he could feel the cruel thin shreds of destiny he grasped so badly cutting his toes, slipping away with each note.

"Perhaps, but nevertheless Protector it stirred anger in you, and anger my dear friend is such a predictable, wild beast. It tramples everything" the dark veins around the black eyes thickened, stretching out like roots of a tree sinking into the ground, pulsing, drinking water "Plans are one such thing"

Plans.

Ignus momentarily spotted reflections growing in each black eye, in one of them he could see himself, the image there precisely deflecting his pose, one bent paw scratching something on the back of his head fervently.

The depicted pictures mesmerized him so much that for a moment he couldn't feel a thing, even though he could see his own leg moving incessantly somewhere near the scales.

The other figure in the second eye was blurred, barely recognizable, but it was enough to tell that the creature there was bipedal. Despite the fact that the features were obscured he still managed to recognize two of them, one was a swinging tail and the other pointy a pair of pointy ears.

Why he was seeing a cheetah there?

The moment this thought crossed his mind another part of the reflection's silhouette revealed itself, it was an arm, reaching at the back of the head, scratching the ear from behind.

Making it shiver like a patient having a cold.

The creature wasn't feline.

It was a canine scratching the back of his ear, his own reflection was mimicking the tick.

The tick he learned, tick that meant that things didn't go as planned.

With an irritated snarl Ignus dropped his leg onto the earth, the stomp was so hard that lines of cracks sprouted across the ground, he automatically spun around, swinging his tail wide. All looked natural and accidental, yet the swing was intentional, the edge of the tail tip ran right where Danox' cheeks were.

If the boy doesn't want to do it yourself, he will make him drop that disgusting reflection, one shake as he will pull back from the incoming blow will be enough.

Instead of flying through without a fuss, his tail tip smacked against scaly body. Ignus' eyes widened and he momentarily faced the dragon once more, strangely feeling a tip of a sword ready to stab him in the back hanging just above his body.

Every nerve screamed at him to keep the dragon in his sight.

All those instinctive warnings though seemed to be just an overreaction since Danox sat where he sat all the time, smiling like he always did, the only thing that changed was the surface of his cheek, reddish dash glistened on it, clearly left by the tail tip that smacked against it. There were still some sparkling dots present, eating away at the black scales.

At first he felt great satisfaction, but then he noticed the fading image of the canine waving at him, behind it stood his own reflection, sinking two blades into the creature's back. The sight of it made his head thud.

He wanted to apologize after that, but the smile stretching the black lips held him back, Danox didn't even seem to notice the wound. Truth be told, knowing the dragon's masochistic tendencies he might as well offered him a favor.

No words came out of his mouth, his sight remained locked on the dark drake, slightly under the eyes though, he had no wish to look in the face of the reflections again.

He licked his lips, needing a drink badly.

"Have you processed the information Ignus?" Danox asked politely

"And where the hell are you even going? There is no way I'm going to tell the Guardians that I let you escape"

"Escape? No, no, no Watcher. I am still being spoiled by benefit of doubt bestowed upon me by the Guardians, a temporary pardon until people of Warfang reach for pitchforks, but still a pardon that offers me freedom. Instead of sleeping it away, I want to use my limited time for travel, do not worry, I will be back before your capabilities can be put to question" a predatory smirk shined from between the lips "Everybody wins, yes?"

"I don't care if you were forgiven. I have a job to do here and if I have to let you go, I demand to know where are you going!"

"Home"

Thick veins appeared on the red neck, each one of the pulsed, building up pressure towards the mouth, mouth parted already to release another blare of fury. Yet the moment Ignus heard the first whizz leaving his tongue he shut his mouth tightly, nearly slicing his tongue in the process.

No.

He won't scream and show the dragon his anger. The drake already toyed with him, he won't give him the satisfaction of humiliation.

All four paws clenched tightly, scooping up the earth and stones in their grasps, the rocks cracking instantly, unable to withstand the pressure of aggravation.

"Details"

Danox bowed obediently.

"I'm going to visit a cheetah village not far from here, ruled by Chief Prowlus"

Ignus cocked his head with a frown.

"Since when a cheetah village is your home?"

"Foul linen should be washed at home" Danox grinned "Never said it has to be mine"

The fire drake thrust his claws into his forehead, the headache increased in strength, seems like he was very sensitive to nonsense, especially when he holds himself from screaming.

"All this toying will one day come for you to demand a price. Mark my words. This nonsense will get back at you one day"

Danox laughed, placing a paw on his chest.

"I admit, I much enjoy confusion, but it's fun Ignus" he shrugged with a charming smile "We all deserve to live, yes? Besides I'm not hurting anyone, free will is such a spectacular thing that I don't want to interfere with it. Can I be blamed for its predictability? Of course not. It is in the nature of every mortal being to return to safety to seek refuge or peace, return home, that one showed that a old friend is living there is purely coincidental I assure you" his eyes sparkled mischievously

"You don't have any friends" Ignus commented bitterly

"Shhhh" the black dragon whispered, pressing a claw against his pouted lips "Don't tell them that"

"Whatever" the red dragon waved the boy off with a grunt "Do whatever you will, but if someone comes looking for you don't expect me to lie. You won't come back, then expect a whole continent to come after you sooner or later. Too bad you're a black dragon, I'm really sad that such unfairness befallen on you" despite the word, the dragon's tone showed no sign of concern, being as callous as stone

The black dragon laughed heartily.

"You can joke after all!" he bowed deeply, grinning wildly "Your support is greatly appreciated, but unnecessary. I will be back, the vicinity of Warfang holds something very dear to me"

"Yes, the tied up kid you brought surely wants to thank you for your attention"

"No Guardian, Capro is a nobody, a tool, tool that I wouldn't want to break though, it can have its usage still. Take care of him during my absence, yes? May I also ask your selfless heart another favor?"

Ignus groaned tiredly, he promised the Guardians he would keep an eye on the black dragon, this special treatment he received might give him some more room to roam and it was not part of his duty to stop him, he would try of course nevertheless. To fulfill his job it was better to keep the dragon close.

But right now, the unceasing blabber was getting on his nerves far more than he was willing to admit. He really wanted the black dragon to fuck off already.

"What do you want?" he hissed through clenched teeth

"Watch a girl for me"

The red dragon burst out laughing, joy filled with bitter satisfaction.

"I won't be stalking anyone, your foolish heart affairs don't interest me"

"I want you to guard her Ignus"

"Yo-" the red drake tried to turn to face the one giving the blunt order, but the moment he wanted to turn he bumped into something

Danox materialized right in front of him.

He pushed back, trailing up the dark body for what felt like an eternity, he could see nothing besides the black scales, rising and rising, obscuring the clouds themselves.

He felt so tiny all of a sudden.

His eyes eventually reached the top, where Danox' black head was tilted down, his huge, dark eyes glaring down on him, ready to swallow at the slightest provocation.

"Guard her" he said and the voice was like a thunder, it struck him fiercely, making his head scream in agony as if it was about to explode

Ignus groaned loudly, closing his eyes in agony, thrusting all claws into his skull to vent the pressure out of his brain.

"Fine!" he roared in taxed pain

"Her name is Coriza, priestess of the temple"

The voice came from afar.

The pain was gone.

Ignus opened his eyes, rising his head, streams of blood flew lazily down from his forehead, from the holes his claws made.

Danox was in the distance as always, voice calm and deep as always.

Did he imagine it all?

The answer to this question came far too early for his liking.

He didn't, there was nothing you could call real in the first place when that black creep was involved. From Danox' perspective the entire world can be a figment of his own imagination.

"Blue dragoness, sweet, fragile, majestic eyes and melodic voice. White hair with blue strands, can't miss her. She cannot be harmed Ignus, do you understand?"

For the first time during this whole conversation Ignus looked straight into the black eyes without anxiety, out of his own free will and he felt great about it. Even more when he felt his mouth stretching into a smile, joy reaching its peak the moment a cheerful laughter burst from his throat.

He laughed triumphantly, he couldn't believe that regret could feel so fantastic, who could have known that he would triumph against the black dragon with defeat.

Danox acted as he knew everything and yet he wants to put him in charge of a young girl.

It worked well the last time.

Danox frowned, watching the laughing dragon in silence.

"Blue dragoness, sweet, fragile, majestic eyes and melodic voice" Ignus repeated, choking on every second word, choking laughter stealing breath out of his lungs "Sounds familiar"

"What is so funny Ignus?"

"The irony!" the fire drake blurted out, flames shooting from his mouth before the roar threw him into another fit of laughter "Fate is such a cruel whore!"

Danox didn't reply, quietly observing the red dragon, his paw however raised to scratch the neck.

"Can't you see it fool?!" Ignus wiped his tear filled eyes, grin remaining steadily on his lips "You are in this mess with us, Fate got its talons on you, it dragged you into our game and putting me in charge of a blue dragoness with a melodic voice is its first smack it sent you boy. Welcome to the dance of decadence, there is no way out so make yourself at home"

Dark, purple toes started to wiggle quicker, claws scratching at the scales more fervently, in the past recent days he kept hearing things that could be judged as amnesia. Capro's words, appearance of Coriza, the Darkness and now Ignus, all of it made him uncomfortable, he didn't like that that feeling at all, he was a creature from the future, he is aware of how the events play out and yet he felt he was missing something here

Details.

Details were eluding him.

"Life has a way of teaching respect to those that believe they are above it" this time it was Ignus that recited, bitter satisfaction in his voice was evident "Its painful to hold onto the strands of Destiny, they tend to eat into your flesh as they slip away. Painful and as weak creatures we tend to put the most useless of band aids, only to ease the suffering even for a little bit"

Danox shook his head, paw landed back on the ground, he forced himself to smile, lips shaking, having no desire to stretch into a cheer.

"You are very open today my friend, very philosophical, I didn't suspect it of you when you're sober"

"Dismiss it for how long you want and pretend you are the ruler of the world, but you asked for my help and I'm a living example as you know how unfair this fight might be" he extended his paw towards the dragon, presenting his palm where toes wiggled with visible difficulty

"Blue dragoness was under my care, you've met Iris, the strands almost cut off my toes when I tried to hold on to them. Now they are not so strong anymore, I doubt I will be able to keep another pupil for long"

"Is there a point to this monologue?"

Ignus shrugged with a smirk.

"Just a reminder to hurry, because you see my friend, no matter how much you try to pretend, time flies the same for all of us" the dragon looked upon his wrinkled paw, between the cracks he could still see dry, ancient stains of blood "And contrary to me, it won't stop to listen to your yattering"

The grin grew wider, it was greatly satisfying to have the upper hand in this confrontation.

"Desperation is the mistress of the impossible" this time it was the red dragon who recited a learnt proverb, his eyes never leaving the black ones

Black ones that didn't dare to reflect any image.

Danox burst with laughter.

"My dear Escort, it is very sweet of you to imagine that you have any grasp on destiny" the black drake presented a predatory smile "It takes much more though than a short, single mortal lifespan"

"Maybe, but that doesn't prevent you from falling into the same traps, life's a bitch boy and it doesn't care who you are" he waved the dragon off "Hurry up now, be on your way, the clock is ticking kid"

The fire dragon spun around, turning away from the black dragon, smiling all the way, he might be a miserable drunk who lost everything, but he was already rising from the bottom, knew the taste of defeat while the kid here is at the start of the drop.

And to think, that all the misery is the result of care, it pushes us to the most insane of actions.

"Ignus" Danox rumbled, he could feel his breathy voice making circles around him, however the invisible hook did not dare to force the shift of his attention

"I believe I do not have to mention that Coriza must remain unharmed. I would be very..." black veins around the eyes pulled, the mist of his breath was sharply pulled back, puffing as it hit him

Nearby flowers withered.

A fox shot from the nearby bushes, crying as if there would be parasites eating it alive.

The dark veins sunk into the flesh, becoming inconspicuous once more.

"...disappointed if she got hurt"

"Don't panic, I know how to do my job, I failed one young girl already, your flair is safe, I'm done with losing" Ignus looked behind his shoulder, giving the dragon a triumphant glare "Failure has a sour taste, better grab some sweets kid, you will need them. It's a long way down"

Ignus gave the black dragon a goodbye wave before he began walking, smiling all the way. The freak might have unimaginable power, but he was still defenseless against Life, it knows how to teach a lesson, he still picks up the pieces from the last one it gave him. The boy was getting on his nerves, this is why it felt great to see him beg for help, reaching out to him in his desperate need, which he is not aware of.

There was once a king who also believed he held Destiny by the ankles and yet here they were, in another timeline which only meant that the previous one ended if lore of this world is to be believed. This lore showed nothing else but cruel truth, it showed that there is no real difference between the big and small of the universe.

Life in the end makes both fall, the first only make more noise when they hit the ground.

He stopped, reaching up towards his head where he touched a stump, a place where once his horn was. Despite everything it was a memento of disgrace, this time though he did not recoil from the touch, this time the stump served as a perfect, undeniable evidence of one simple truth.

Care is such a powerful business advantage.