“Mushi! Take Tanka and run!” Tsunashi said, dashing toward the forest’s edge with Glacia in his arms. “I’ll draw their attention!”

“Don’t get yourself killed, Tsunashi!” Mushi turned to Tanka and Trillon. “You heard the man. Let’s go!” They darted down the road, another pair of drakes rushing from the trees. Mushi grasped the hilt of her sword, leaped into the air, and struck down, missing the drake. An opportunity showed, and the drake lunged at her. Mushi swiftly tilted the sword and pressed the blade’s body between the drake’s jaws with her shoulder.

Tanka clenched tight to the drake’s scales she looted prior, smashing them against her skin, then releasing another shout. The horn and her beads went red, now covered in red scales. Trillon charged forward, leaving behind embers in his steps until both of their bodies enveloped in flame. He tackled the drake, Tanka flipping from his back and stabbing into the drake’s eye with her knife, then snagging onto Trillon’s horn when he came back around, to return to his back. “I’m coming… old lady!” She said weakly.

The sword kept the drake’s mouth open as Mushi wrestled to keep it lodged between the beast’s teeth. With a lash of its neck, it tossed both her and the weapon aside and charged at her falling body. Tsunashi appeared from above, landing on its neck and incapacitating the monster.

“Everything alright, Master Mushi?” He asked. “No time to waste, get going!”

Mushi hoisted the sword over her shoulder and whistled. “You’re just in time, as usual.”

The smile on his face couldn’t read as anything less than cheesy. “The three of you need to leave here fast. We’ll catch up after I deal with the rest.”

“So glad I volunteered to stay behind!” Glacia asked sarcastically.

“That toothpick of yours might come in handy.”

“But… But I…” Tanka said, blood seeped from her leg. “Tri…” She struggled to speak, her eyelids hanging low.

“Not another word, girl!” Mushi ran next to the bison, planting her sword in the ground for a boost on its back. “Take care of the girl, Tsunashi. I don’t like whatever crazy idea is going through your head, but with me, my sword, and Tanka, we’d be pushing the bison to its limit.” She adjusted Tanka on her chest. “I’ll get her to a safe distance and patch her up!”

“Thank you, Mushi!”

Though Glacia would have preferred to escape with them, the exhaustion on Tanka’s face was undeniable. She figured it would be for the best, rather than endanger them if they were attacked further down the road. Being confined to the bison made her useless, but Tsunashi acted as if things would be different. “We’ll take care of things here.” Glacia said with a confident grin. “A few drakes won’t stop me this time!”

Her response kindled a smile on Mushi’s face. “Atta girl!”

Frustration grew on Tsunashi’s face. “Hurry up! And don’t bother coming back for us! We’ll meet you in Accolade.”

Mushi nodded. “Take care!” then pressed her heels into Trillon’s sides and took off.

He assured the two of them made it a safe distance before turning around toward the forest. Glacia was giving him an apathetic look, her arms wrapped; unhappy. “Guess it’s just the two of us!”

“Yeah.”

“You upset?”

“Maybe. A little, yes. I’d be happier fighting without you carrying me, but we’ll have to manage.”

“Make sure you hold on tight if you slide. No guarantees otherwise.”

Tsunashi pulled her close, turning Glacia apple red. The scent was damning, certainly several days without a proper bathing. She jammed her elbow into his chin. “Watch your hands, fool.” Causing Tsuna to smirk. “Sure, you’re a dragon, but don’t get any stupid ideas.”

“Cmon, I wouldn’t do that. Especially not in front of Seriara. Speaking of her, where is…” Balls of fire began firing from the bushes and trees, targeted at Tsunashi, who speedily evaded along the forest’s edge. With Glacia in his arms, he couldn’t fight back without putting her at risk as well. It called for another strategy. His erratic movement between the attacks had garnered the enemy's attention, but they soon caught on. Where he eluded one attack, they already aimed another fireball at the position he’d land. “They’re reading my moves!” As the words left his mouth, a ball came from straight in front of them. He spun around, shielding Glacia, taking the hit directly to his back. “Ack! Hot! Hot!” Tsunashi ran them into the forest, drifting along the grass, a surge of fire shooting from his arms and legs when he needed to avoid another fireball. A scarlet glow emerged above, prompting Glacia to wave her hilt in response, conjuring a wall of ice that sheltered them from the attack. Narrowly escaping a direct hit, Tsunashi kept evading.

These attacks are relentless! Even though he’s moving so fast! To think the attacks are moving faster! I wonder... “Are these really drakes?” Glacia asked. “Any drake the Tarragon encountered has never shot fire. The angles the attacks are coming from, too. Above, sides, below, they aren’t the brightest beasts for strategy like that.”

“You actually caught on.” Tsunashi said, the remark provoking a glare from Glacia. “They’re single-minded creatures in combat. Instruct them to sic and they’ll run down the target like a starving animal. Their limited abilities are another thing. A drake that can breathe fire is very rare. For there to be so many circling us, we’d have to have some shitty luck.”

“Get to the point!”

“Coupling the two of those things is like adding two and two to get six. There’s a missing part that isn’t adding up. They don’t have a mind for organized strikes or, normally, the capacity for breathing fire. Now, if someone were to rally them, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. Monitoring them and us. From the three that hurt Tanka, arguably the weakest of us in ether, someone who could identify that called the shot.” Tsunashi maneuvered around several attacks, stopping in a tree.

“Shouldn’t you be the only one who could do that, or does your ether have a mind of its own?”

“It might be more complicated than that. What I suspect is that the dragon is the one in control of the ether, the one you call the Ash of Ebon. I believe Talion is dominating the Ash through the soul of the boy, Tsunashi, giving him command over ether itself. Though not completely.” Several volleys had come toward Tsunashi in various directions. Fire assembled at his feet, launching him into the air as numerous fireballs flew from the trees in rapid succession. For each one that missed, another came. “Hold on!”

The intensity of the blasts grazed Glacia’s cheek. There was a particular sense reaching from each of the flares that gave similar wavelengths. The ether of each of these blast… they’re the same! A blue veil enveloped her body before expanding around the two of them. Each volley that landed pressed them higher into the air until they were out of the red ether. Twirling around one another, they could see the palace atop a hill in the distance as they floated. Glacia’s eyes locked on Tsunashi’s as the two of them spun. She held a finger out to him. “I have a plan!”

Smoke filled the air from where the fireballs impacted them. The fireballs ceasing. Suddenly, Glacia soared out of the smoke. She was on a crash course toward the ground, her appearance continuing the hail of fire. “Neverland!” Glacia weaved through the sky, growing glittering wings that carried her around the projectiles and crashed her into a tree. A jab of her rapier into the tree froze it instantaneously, rapidly freezing others in the area. “Go!”

A boom rung through the sky, Tsuna shooting in her direction like a falling star. His foot lit aflame. His crash landing shattered the trees, lifting a mist into the air. Glacia panted, the ether hastily taking its toll on her. “Easy.” Tsunashi said, plucking her up. She folded her arms around his neck and wriggled around to his back. “You remind me of someone who also announced his special moves!”

“Focus…” Glacia said. “See… there are no drakes. It’s one person…”

“Impressive.” spoke a voice, striding through the mist. A gale of wind dispersed the obstruction, revealing a woman. Red scales wrapped around her legs and thighs up to her crotch. A thin strip ran across her belly and breasts and up to her neck. She pressed the bridge of her nose as if she were adjusting an object. “Talion expected you wouldn’t be much of an interference, Gardenia. It is clear he’s miscalculated you. Thought you naïve because of your age. But I know children. They’re far cleverer than adults give them credit for.” The enemy’s eyes scrolled over Tsunashi, widening before she gasped. “You’re him? Satsuki’s boy, or just his body?” Her shock returned to a relaxed grin. “Regardless of how I feel toward the youth, he constantly was nothing but trouble. I only hope he’s in a better place now.” She shrugged, looking to the sky as if reminiscing. “Scaring everyone with his antics, stealing, fighting. Tachibana was an intriguing one. At least Infernus has taken over, so I won’t have regret for killing Satsuki’s child.”

“You… know this bitch?” Glacia asked.

Tsunashi swayed his head. “No, I don’t think so. But this is the woman who irritated my horns.” Eyebrows furrowed, he gawked at the woman. “Talion’s been hard at work. You were a Bearer, now you’re something resembling a dragon. A phony. If you value anything of the natural order, abandon him. He will lead you to war and destruction.”

“And times change.” She spoke. “When fate snatched us from our home and plunged us into a dream world, we changed. You died and abandoned the dragons. Your negligence forced change. The title of Deity passed on to the heir.”

“If only it were so simple.” Tsunashi’s legs gradually covered in black scales. “What are you after?”

Her finger moved from her nose and pointed directly at Glacia. “The two of you are not welcome in the new order of dragon. Talion sends his regards.”

Tsunashi raised an eyebrow. “Her? The girl’s as cold as ice, sharp as nails, and a lot more trouble than she’s worth. Me, I can understand, but her too? Are you sure about that?”

Subtle beeps echoed in the air, pulling Glacia’s attention toward the sky. There she saw a small metallic orb floating around the area, centered on where they stood. An Elysian drone? Have they advanced this far already? I hope whoever is watching is an ally. Glacia grabbed Tsuna by the cheeks, turning his head toward her. “Hey, carry me in front. If we’re going to fight this, you’ll need my help for offense and defense.”

“If that’s how it has to be.” Tsunashi closed his eyes while a diabolical smile grew on his lips. “You’re lucky, woman. Had my hands not been full, I’d kick your ass myself. Be content with the beating you’ll get from the little dragon!”

“Little dragon!?”

The woman’s scales illustrated. A flash sweeping over her body and through her hair. “I’ve spoiled enough time.” The hair on her head shifted into spikes that impaled the ground, propelling herself forward with her nails aimed at Glacia. Tsunashi swung his scaled leg, deflecting the attack, while Glacia raised a wall of ice to block a second attack that followed. The wall shattered, Glacia throwing several jagged shards from her hilt, with them bursting on the woman’s skin. Her attacks had no effect, the woman shrugging off each strike. “Pathetic.” At that moment, Tsunashi appeared at her side. His leg swung, crashing against her arm. The kick lowered her guard as he spun around for another. Fire rounded up in the woman’s hand as she pointed in their path. Glacia bounced from Tsuna’s chest, him blocking the blast with his arms while she dove from above. The woman skipped back before the rapier impaled her, delivering a swift kick to her head, and sending her flying off to where Tsunashi caught her.

“You okay?” Tsunashi asked, urgently scanning her head.

Glacia caressed the bruise on her face, gritting her teeth. “Yeah, let’s try that again!”

The woman stormed into their space, swinging for Glacia, but Tsunashi turned his body to prevent her from being struck. A twirl back and Glacia conjured a blade, dragging it across the ground as growing ice spikes followed. The dragon woman sidestepped the attacks, pulling back for a strike until she saw a scarlet flash from within the ice. The ice spikes combusted; however, the woman’s body produced more scales to defend her from the explosion that sunk into her skin. Anger clearly on her face. The spikes of her hair plunged underground, rushing toward Tsunashi and causing him to step back. As the spikes revealed themselves, they went aflame in a flash, firing a burst of fire from each.

“Now that explains everything.” Tsunashi said, dispersing the fireballs with several kicks. More spikes turned up at their side, Glacia turning her focus to preventing an attack from that direction. A crumbling below them revealed a spike below them, igniting and catching the two of them off guard. Tsunashi pulled Glacia close, taking the brunt of the blast himself, and launched into the air.

Tsunashi’s grasp on Glacia relaxed, his body going stiff. His eyes were still open, but he didn’t move a muscle. “Hey, you alright!? Hey!?” No response. However, she saw a meager tremble in his eyes. It was as if the attack had disabled him.

The dragon woman looked on as they descended, producing a spike for where they’d land. “And this is all the old fire deity is capable of? Not even one display of flame.” Their bodies fell, closing in on the spike when abruptly her sight was urged downward. “As easy as Talion said it would be. We will cla-!” A burden pressed on her shoulders, withdrawing her hair as a sting ran through her body. A golden bolt of static hopped around her body like a net, followed by a laugh. The dragon woman struggled, swinging her claws to cut the net, but every attempt failed. The laugh grew louder, paralyzing her as its creator arrived.

“‘In a place desolate of life, you still can’t find any alone time.’ Is probably what you thought.” A pale girl with silvery tipped red hair walked from what remained of the forest, hands in the pockets of her short shorts and a cigarette between her lips. She removed the bud from her mouth, tossing it on the ground and stomping it out. “But that begs the question: What makes you think something as lowly as you deserve that kind of privilege?”

Fear sprang into the dragon woman’s eye. The more she resisted the net’s hold, the more she trembled under the weight of it. A shrieking cry made her scales to chatter, shaking off the hinderance that held her and withdrawing into the air.

“Don’t think you’re going anywhere now that you’ve made me waste my cig!” She pointed a finger at the sky, firing a blue bolt of lightning that zipped beside the fleeing woman.

When the bolt missed her, the woman turned around, watching for another. She steadily fled, not seeing another move coming from the pale woman. A crackle and hum resounded behind her, dragging her attention behind her. Another girl, similar in appearance, but with silvery tipped blue hair and a baseball cap, appeared behind her, holding a blade of lightning with both hands.

“Megavolt blade.”

The lightning sliced across her shoulder, an arm flying. The dragon’s body convulsed with flames, abruptly exploding into a ball of fire before smoke clouded the sky. She rushed outside of the soot; her leaking shoulder leaving a trail as she flew away. The blue bolt of lightning came back to the girl on the ground, settling next to her and shaping into the other girl. “Next time, sis. Maybe I’ll start saving my cigs for after fights.” The two wandered over to Tsunashi and Glacia.

Tsunashi took a deep breath before sitting up with Glacia in his lap. “Slowly. Don’t need you freezing up again.” Glacia said.

“Ugh… That wasn’t me freezing up. It was like I couldn’t move. That might have been her anima.”

“Creatures like dragons can’t harness their ether in that way. They shouldn’t… but what do I know these days? All of this is bizarre.” Glacia turned, glancing at the girls who approached them. Their pupils were larger than any she’d ever seen, illuminating brightly that she was sure they’d shine in the dark. The red-haired one had yellow eyes and the blue one white. Blue reached into the pocket of her jacket, pulling out a notebook and presenting it to her sister. Red’s eyes ran down the list, nodding each time her eyes went to her far right.

“Checks out. Dark skin, red eyes, probably barefoot, and a less than mediocre control of ether. Rylen was spot on with the details.”

The name made Tsunashi perk up. “Did you say Rylen? The Elf Rylen? The one with ethertech, Rylen?”

“Easy on the descriptors, we get it.” Red said. “That’s the one, and that’s all you need to worry about right now. We’ll go over the details when we get you to Accolade. But first, you need to promise us one thing.” Tsunashi and Glacia stared at the two of them, awaiting her to continue. Jolts streamed through their feet, retreating behind them, leaping out of the ground and back into the ground for a massive explosion. Red crossed her arms while Blue placed her hands in her pockets. “Just that should anyone ask, let them know the twins had to save the day, as we always do! Izuki and Izaki, Zenith’s best dynamic duo in the goddamn world!”