"The power in our blood — what you called a Body Refinement method — is known by many names," Crassus began, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "Some call it a blessing, a bloodline, or a legacy. But those who know better call it by a different name — the Dragon's Ruin."

"The Dragon's Ruin?" Arran frowned as he heard the name. "Does that mean it's harmful?"

"Far from it," Crassus said, a bitter smile on his face. "The Ruin will allow your body to grow stronger than most mages would think possible, helping you absorb strength without any effort whatsoever. And not just that — it will protect you against poisons and other harmful influences."

"Then why call it that?" Arran asked.

"Because it eventually ruins all of us," Crassus replied. "Many mages long to have this power for themselves, and sooner or later, we all fall to them. It's a fate no dragon escapes forever — in the end, all dragons are slain by mages."

Again, Arran frowned, though this time there was some shock in his eyes. "But even if they want your power, why would they need to kill you?"

He could see why mages would want the power — what Crassus called the Dragon's Ruin — but he did not understand why they would need to kill dragons for it. Especially with dragons as powerful as Crassus, asking for their help seemed a whole lot easier than defeating them.

"Most mages don't acquire the Ruin as easily as you," Crassus said. "That you gained as much as you did from just a few drops of my blood… it would drive many of them mad with envy."

He gave Arran a curious look, but then continued, "The stronger a mage grows, the harder it becomes to acquire the Ruin. For the strongest mages, not even all the blood in my body would be enough — they would need to find a dragon far more powerful than me, and drain it completely. And even then, they will likely fail."

"Why is that?" Arran asked. He suspected that the Blood magic had helped him somehow, but he wondered why it would be harder for stronger mages to benefit from the dragon blood.

Crassus shrugged. "I don't know enough about magic to answer that. What I know, I've heard from mages, and you lot aren't exactly the most straightforward of people."

At that, Arran could only nod in agreement. In the few years he had spent among mages, he'd found that they were opaque at the best of times, and often downright unintelligible.

Still, in this case, he had some guesses of his own about the matter.

Both Essence and Natural Essence transformed the body, and as a mage grew stronger, over time his body would be more strongly affected. From Snowcloud, Arran had learned that the wrong balance in this could make it far harder to practice magic.

What he suspected now was that a body rich in magic somehow resisted being changed by the Dragon's Ruin, thus making it more difficult to gain its power. It was a guess, but Arran thought it a likely explanation.

Still, that was a matter he'd consider another time. For now, he turned his attention back to Crassus.

"So what you told me…" An uncomfortable expression appeared on his face. "Does that mean there are mages after you, too?"

"Of course," Crassus confirmed. "From the moment my consciousness awoke, I've faced mages trying to take both my power and my life. That's why I don't dare come near the Shadowflame region — I'd be like a mouse in a cat den." He chuckled at the last part, then continued, "But now that you have gained the Ruin, you're in danger as well. You might not be a dragon, but if others find out about it, you'll be hunted like one."

Arran nodded thoughtfully, but although he knew he should be worried, he couldn't bring himself to feel any concern over it. "It's just another secret I'll have to keep," he said with a shrug. He already had plenty of secrets, and one more would hardly make a difference.

However, a sudden thought occurred to him, and he narrowed his eyes as he looked at Crassus.

"If mages are your natural enemies, then why did you help us?"

At this, Crassus let out a laugh. "It must seem strange to you," he said, "but the truth is that most dragons aren't good company, and normal humans just die too quickly. Most of them barely last a few short decades before dying." He sighed at the thought. "Mages might be dangerous, but at least they live long enough to get to know them."

"Then you know other mages, as well?"

"Of course," Crassus replied. "One of the few I count among my friends is part of your Shadowflame Society. Tall fellow for your kind, nearly twice your height. Came to kill me a few centuries ago, but instead, we drank together for several weeks — held his drink like a dragon, that one."

"Elder Naran?!" Snowcloud interrupted, a look of shock on her pale face. She had been sitting on the ground, still recovering from the flight, but this seemed to have caught her attention.

"Elder?" Crassus frowned. "He's barely five centuries old. But the two of you know him, then?"

"He claimed to have killed the dragon. That's how he got his name…" She frowned deeply, almost seeming disappointed. "So that was all a lie, then."

"I don't know about any of that," Crassus replied. Then, with a glance at Arran, he added, "But if you know him, he's the one you should ask about the Dragon's Ruin. Knows a lot more about it than I do, truth be told."

Their discussion continued until the fall of evening, with Crassus giving Arran advice on how to use the Dragon's Ruin — most of which amounted to consuming lots of food with Natural Essence — and regaling him with tales of Elder Naran, who seemed to have built a name for himself in Relgard with his love for liquor.

When evening finally fell, Crassus's expression fell with it. "It's time for me to go," he said, although it looked like he would gladly have spent another few days with them.

Arran did not object. He thought that Crassus might be persuaded to accompany them for a few more weeks — if not more — but now that he knew the situation, he did not want to lead Crassus into further danger. For all his strength, the man's guileless and forthright nature almost made him seem vulnerable.

As night fell, they said their goodbyes, with Arran promising Crassus that he would visit him in a few years. Arran had every intention of keeping his word — after the help Crassus had given them, he already considered the man a true friend.

Finally, when the sky had turned dark, Crassus transformed once more, his giant shape taking flight in a show of strength that once more left Arran wishing he could fly himself.

Snowcloud looked at the giant dragon's departure with a complex expression.

"He's not what I expected from a dragon," she said.

Arran could only agree with her. They had both had their own ideas about dragons before meeting Crassus, but in the end, they had both been entirely wrong.

"I take it we're leaving in the morning?" he finally said.

"We are," she replied. "With the lead we gained from flying, we should be safer than we would be otherwise, but even so, the journey ahead will be filled with dangers."

"Then we'll face those dangers, and defeat them," Arran said, trying to instill some confidence both in Snowcloud and himself.

In truth, he was not at all confident about the road ahead. He knew little of their enemies, but what little he knew was already cause for worry. And even with their lead, he doubted that escaping unscathed would be an easy matter.