Felix sat silently against Zira's back as Eri and her guards left. His partner slept soundlessly, her mind peaceful compared to the tumultuous storm that had raged in it earlier. He prayed it stayed that way…

Closing his eyes, he thought about resting himself. The day had taken quite a toll on him both physically and emotionally. It was simply a miracle that he was still awake and functioning. However, there was only one problem: He was not alone.

Kyrith's voice broke the silence. "Hey, Felix?" The dragon sounded unsure, timid even, as he spoke. "Can… Can I ask you a question?"

"Hmm?" Felix kept his eyes closed but still managed to raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

There was a brief pause before Kyrith spoke once more. "If… If something like what happened to Zira happened to me, would you…help me?"

He cracked an eye open and peered up to the ember-color dragon. Kyrith looked anxious, like he was asking something taboo.

"Yes," Felix answered confidently. "I would move heaven and earth to help you, no questions asked. The same for Eri and Zira."

"But…" The dragon trailed off, clearly unsure what to say.

He sat up and properly looked at Kyrith. "What's wrong?"

"It's– We don't spend any time together." The dragon looked away, seemingly ashamed of the very words he uttered. "I know you love Eri and Zira, but what about me? What am I to you?"

Felix pondered that for several long moments. "That's true… We haven't spent that much time with just you and me. I'm always either with Eri or Zira. But, Kyrith? Let me make one thing very clear, I love you."

"Y-you do?" The dragon looked taken aback, causing him to let out a chuckle.

"Yes. And Eri and Zira. I love you all. That's what family is meant to be built upon, love. Even if we don't end up having any time together, that doesn't mean I don't care about you. In fact, I believe you are the binder keeping us all together."

Kyrith stood there silently, contemplating. Felix, however, decided to go further.

"You make all of us laugh and smile. You know just how to brighten our moods when we're feeling down. Just your presence alone is often comforting enough. I'm truly glad you hatched for Eri and I got to know you."

His smile began to fade…

"But you're right. We haven't spent much time together. Neither has Eri and Zira. I think… I think I'd like to change that, if only a little. I mean, it's obvious we all have our preferences. Let me ask you this: On a…normal day, who would you rather spend it with? Me or Eri?"

"Eri…" Kyrith answered guiltily.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. That's the truthful answer. Zira would choose me over Eri. Meanwhile, Eri and I have to choose between each other or you and Zira. Let me tell you, that one isn't always the easiest!

"But… Perhaps we could change that. We are– and I know I keep repeating this –a family. Honestly, I was happy to see you and Zira growing closer together. The bond between the two of you has definitely strengthened. I hope ours can do the same, yours and mine."

"I hope so too…" Kyrith took on a more bashful look, but at least he was starting to look like his normal happy-go-lucky self.

"Then I think we should start right here, right now." Felix patted the ground next to him. "Why don't you come here and lay down? Let's spend some time together."

Perking up, Kyrith moved closer before laying down. It suddenly became very cramped for Felix but he didn't complain, especially when the ember-colored dragon unfurled a wing and draped it over him and Zira.

"Thanks," Felix said, reaching out to give scritches to the dragon. "Now… How shall we begin?"

Kyrith poked his head into the small gap. "Oh! I have an idea!"

"What is it?" he asked with a humorous expression.

"Why don't we try merging our minds?!"

Felix blinked, not having thought about that. He quickly recovered and met the dragon with his own excitement. "Sure!"

***

With a groan, Felix grasped his head. Sweat poured down his brow, stinging his eyes. He had a killer headache but he wasn't the only one suffering…

Kyrith panted, whimpering through each breath. The two of them had tried to bring their consciousness together. It…worked, but for only so long. They weren't nearly as compatible with each other as compared with their own respective partners.

That didn't mean they couldn't grow their bond, however. In fact, they made several attempts, with each one being more successful than the last. The issue, in the end, came down to fatigue.

Felix wasn't in any state to attempt something so mentally straining. He was weary and almost assuredly experiencing mana exhaustion. His fight with Torm hadn't left him in the best physical state either. Really, he should've fainted long ago…

Yet he hadn't. It wasn't something he thought about and, even now, was only vaguely aware of. I will…worry about that later.

He gave a pained smile to Kyrith. "I guess we have a lot to learn about each other. Our trust isn't there yet. We'll have to fix that– In time. Right now, I think I want to rest."

Kyrith merely gave him a nod before dropping his head onto the ground. Felix let out a half-hearted chuckle and rested his head against Zira's sleeping form. A moment later his eyes began to close…

Felix?

He shot up at the sound of his partner's voice. Zira?! Are you okay?

Her body shifted, rolling away from him before her head appeared. Her expression was one of embarrassment and shame.

Without waiting for her response, he delved into her mind and attempted to wrap it in a hug. She pulled away.

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I… I don't want to hurt you–

Nonsense! Please, Zira, come to me. Felix reached for her again and this time she hesitantly accepted.

As their consciousnesses came together, he could feel her intense apprehension. It was as if she was holding back.

Zira… It's okay.

But I hurt you.

No you didn't–

Yes I did! I know I went wild! I know I did…something– I attacked you! I remember feeling your pain but I couldn't stop. I couldn't…

He looked at her pointedly. How much do you remember?

She turned away. Not much, but I was afraid… You were hurt, I think? She let out a growl at her faulty memories. I don't know! But I know you were in pain!

Felix took a deep breath, throwing a quick glance over to Kyrith. The ember-colored dragon was snoring away. He brought his attention back to Zira.

You experienced something called a terror. You know of night terrors, but yours specifically was a soldier's terror. It's…effectively the same thing but with one crucial difference. You are awake during it.

When I was with the Holy Triumphant, I witnessed plenty of my men having them. We called them soldier's terror because it usually happened after brutal fighting. The kind where the death toll was high. That didn't mean it didn't happen outside of that, though. There were plenty of cases where men broke down or went into a rage that weren't caused by war.

Felix let out a sigh and pulled her mind ever closer. Sometimes they were one-offs, sometimes not. What matters is I know the signs and I stopped you. I accepted the risks. You did not hurt me because you weren't in control.

There was a long pause before Zira responded. Will you be able to stop me if it happens again?

Of course, and it won't just be me. Kyrith and Eri were fretting over you just as much. They helped, actually.

I'll… I'll have to thank them, she whispered, looking at Kyrith.

Felix's eyes widened. Oh! That reminds me… He turned his thoughts to both Eri and Kyrith, nudging the latter from his slumber. Zira's awake!

Immediately, the ember-colored dragon raised his head, shouting loudly through the bond. ZIRA!

Everyone winced, but before another word could be said, he joined them in Zira's mind. And then Eri appeared…

Oh, Zira… You poor soul… I was so worried about you! I wish I could be there but someone shooed me away. Felix felt ire being directed at him.

However, before he could defend himself, both she and Kyrith joined the hug. The four consciousnesses were in danger of melding together…

Thankfully, Eri pulled away but still remained. Kyrith, though, continued to hold Felix and Zira hostage.

Are you okay?! the dragon asked. A strong sense of worry permeated from him.

I… Yes? I think? Zira was thrown off-guard by the assault on her mind. It was something that made Felix smile, his talk with Kyrith still fresh in his mind.

This is what family should look like, he muttered to no one in particular. A moment later, he pulled away and pointed his next thought to Eri. Have you made it back to the clearing?

I have, she said distractedly. I do have some good news– I mean… Besides Watcher's death, so far there haven't been any others. Some are seriously injured but Ashtia and the Sages are looking after them and, from what I've heard, they should make a full recovery.

Upon hearing Watcher's name, Felix felt a punch to his gut. The blow, though, was softened by Eri's news. After everything, he expected casualties to be high. So many were convulsing…

That's not all, she continued, the new group arrived as well. They immediately set upon helping… It's a mess here, a complete disaster. But everyone is in high spirits. Many watched you take down that monster. They are in awe.

He felt a pit forming in the bottom of his stomach. W-what do you mean by that?

She gave him a mental smile. You'll see, eventually… And one more thing.

Felix buried his face into his hands. Gods help me. What is it?

Ithea is here and she brought a friend. She's dying to meet you.

Ithea scowled as she stared down into the clearing from her usual perch among the sky trees. The devastation was severe but nothing to what could've been. The Hatchery and manor stood untouched, along with most of the kobolds' village. The addition of the massive tree in the center was new, but she was unconcerned about it, despite the ominous feeling she got.

She burned a considerable amount of mana to get here as quickly as possible. Well, a considerable amount for any normal magical creature. For her, it was barely a drop in the bucket…

Another shade, and a corrupted one at that, she thought after a moment. She had spoken to Aluin briefly upon landing, getting enough of the story to be concerned. A large part of her cursed her luck. She got stuck fighting the weaker opponent. Meanwhile, Felix had the real fun.

In her own way, though, she was relieved. From what she gathered casualties were light, and none of them included deaths– Well, save for a kobold, but she hardly cared about them.

They're the worst–

"Ithea! There you are! I've been looking all over for you…"

Scratch that, second worst. No, wait, Yarnel is the second worst… She let out a hiss. "Go away."

"But I went through all this trouble to find you!"

"So? There is a reason why I disappeared." She took a step off the branch she was standing on and called forth a spell. Suddenly, she was on the opposite side of the clearing.

Fucking bitch… Why does it have to be her? She drew a deep breath and began to exhale–

"That wasn't very nice… And here I hoped we could talk."

Ithea felt her eye twitch. "I'm in no mood to talk." She gestured to the clearing below. "Besides, shouldn't you be down there?"

There was a curious hum. "But I've already introduced myself to the new Queen. I was disappointed to find out her mate wasn't here though. I was really hoping to meet him…"

She rolled her eyes. "What is it with you and humans, anyway? You do realize they are the reason why we are here in the first place, right?"

"You just don't know them like I do," the voice said defensively. "I've lived among them far longer than any of our kind. It wasn't all of humanity who did this…"

"Yet, here we are." Ithea shook her head, there was no point in arguing with this person. And, thankfully, something caught her eye. Maybe this will get her to leave me alone…

"Oh look." She casually pointed into the distance. "It's the human–"

"WHERE!?"

Ithea let out a low growl as the most annoying person in the world suddenly leaned on her. "Over…there. Why don't you go say–"

They vanished.

Good riddance. And may the Gods have mercy on Felix's soul, because she surely won't…

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