In the cabin, Drake was cooking stew for his friends, for whenever they chose to return. He had given Neve a bowl of water and another of the smaller chunks of meat.

When Mike and Chad finally walked inside the cabin, their two dragons were in their smallest forms, sitting on the back of a dog with three tails. The dog had pitch-black fur with streaks of fire-like fur that flickered like real fire. The tips of the three tails flickered faintly as if suppressing flames.

Chad had a wide smile on his face. Telling Drake that the guardian was his. Mike, on the other hand, looked depressed.

"This is Blaze," Chad introduced. When he did, Blaze walked to Drake and sniffed his hand before licking it.

"Hi Blaze, I'm Drake," Drake answered back, petting the small dog.

"I've been thinking," Drake started, as he looked at his friends. "I don't think we can return to the regular world with them." He paused for a few seconds before continuing. "It's not just the guardians, but also the dragons. Even in their small form, they don't look like regular lizards. We need to come up with a plan, or one of us has to stay behind when we go back to care for them."

Mike sat at the table. He had pulled the stew from the hearth and set the pot in the middle of the table. He was already filling his bowl. Appearing in deep thought, he didn't speak.

Chad sighed. "I can be left behind. I know you won't be gone long. You have to stop at Bren's to pick up letters. Your dad might order more, but we already have plenty of stuff. Those endless bags are really helpful. I want to figure out how it works. If I can, I'll have an endless supply of coffee. Anyway, you'll only be gone a few hours at least and at the most, be back in the morning."

Mike suddenly looked up at Drake. "You said you had been thinking about the guardians not being able to go to the regular world. That's plural… Am I going to get one?"

Drake smiled, sitting down at the table. Blaze was Chad's responsibility, so it was he who would need to feed and water him. "I received a system message that a member of my cohort received a guardian beast. Blaze is a Fire Dog. Basically, he's a dog that can control the fire element. Just like Neve is a large cat that has the ice element."

Mike looked forlorn. "So… you don't know if I'm going to get one?"

"If Chad got one, I'm sure you will too. This dimension is pretty fair. I think that eventually, you'll find a guardian of your own. Besides, there are still two days before the festival. You have plenty of time to find one before then." Drake said calmly before eating his stew. He stayed quiet after that.

They ate in silence. When they were finished, Chad helped clean up, while Mike sat at the table and sulked.

***

In another part of the dimension, a glowing figure stood watching the three boys. Noticing the sulking swordsman, the figure smiled wickedly. "Let's see how strong your cohort bond is."

The dimension was a unique one. The dimension master and his cohort protected the dimension; however, the dimension itself was a living being. Its soul core was a glowing figure that could enter its avatar. He was the one who gave life to the dimension, allowing the beasts to spawn and giving the humans inside a place to live. The other beings were also spawns, but there were far more conditions than the beasts had for them to spawn.

So far, the three boys had done an excellent job. Knowing how many were trying to stop them, he wanted to give them a little help. The help was in the form of dungeons.

Now, some dungeons were able to spawn in the dimension as well. The dimension was able to choose when, where, and why one would be placed. He wanted the boys to get stronger. The last dungeons they went inside were partly to strengthen the boys, give them lessons, and a way to give them dragons to help them get the quests done faster. It worked out in all areas.

Seeing a possible problem in the future, the dimension decided to test the cohort's bonds. Two of the three already had their guardians. The third one hadn't found his yet, but after seeing the sulking swordsman, the dimension decided to hold off on giving him his guardian. He wanted to test the boy to see if he was close enough to his friends not to hate them for getting something he hadn't gotten yet.

A strong bond was important for the dimension's cohort to work well to protect the place. Friction could destroy it. It was why he chose to test their bond.

***

Back in Draco town, Drake and his cohort, along with the two guardian beasts and Renn, were heading toward the tavern.

It was already morning, and they wanted to get started on the last-minute preparations for the festival that would take place the following day. Ruby was still with her hive and wanted to return to them after the festival, when their next quest would start. She didn't like all the noise, so she chose to stay away.

Drake didn't care. He wanted her to be happy.

Drake turned to Mike. "You can take Thor, and you two can head to the forest and see if you can find your guardian. I know you'll get one eventually. Don't feel bad if you don't get one today. I can feel it. You will get one sooner or later. It just might take some time."

Mike's eyes lit up. With saying very little, he and Thor headed toward the forest instead. Mike knew he was right. Aside from the familiars. They each received things equally. He knew he would get one, but his own gut was telling him that it would be a while.

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