“What was that?” I asked after a moment of hiking through trees. I wasn’t sure Azul could be trusted, but I could count on him to talk.

“You would best understand it as a fairy and a rather ballsy one at that, your world might have had a different name, but you can think of them as tricksters or pests.” Sure enough, the dragon liked the sound of his own voice. At least he was willing to freely give me information. “It would be best to avoid them as much as possible; they can be a bit annoying.”

I don’t know what Azul meant; the creature seemed to want to stay away from me more than I did. Still, I almost wondered if I should do the opposite of the dragon's advice.

I suppose the worst thing that could happen would be having another companion riding on my shoulders. Though Azul was more than enough for that. Even though I could not feel the blue form wrapped around me, I still felt some stiffness around the shoulders, as if I had been carrying something heavy for a while. The feeling did not go away, no matter how often I tried to move or adjust them. It was best to ignore it; changing perspective always would help. A wound in the foot could distract from a training ache, after all. Though I had no idea why I was thinking like that. Had someone stabbed me in the foot before? I would have to inspect for scars later.

The grey trees continued to get denser and denser; perhaps we were already going elsewhere in the world. I wish I had some idea of where I should go; wandering seemed like it was bound to get me wrapped up with more strange creatures. At the very least, Lerato or someone could have given me some ideas.

Maybe they didn’t know where I would want to go. Or perhaps they didn’t think I would encounter anything strange. I did find it odd that no one warned me about the creatures in the world. If they were pests, as Azul said, then I would have thought they would be at least worth mentioning. There was a possibility, though.

“Where do those fairies hide?” I asked

“In plain sight, my dear; they tend to be hard for you humans to see, though.” Azul’s answer confirmed what I was thinking. The others didn’t mention the creatures because they hadn’t seen them.

Or, it was possible I was giving them too much credence. The words ‘trust no person’ floated into the forefront of my mind. They carried a particular sound to them as if it was someone else’s voice planted within. ‘Yes, mother’ was the next thing I could come up with.

I shook my head. Thoughts aside, there was a possibility that the others couldn’t be trusted. Ulterior motives we’re always possible.

I stopped walking through the dense grey woods and Sat down on a root that bulged out of the ground.

“Are you wondering why your companions didn’t warn you of the pests?”

It was creepy how correct the dragon was. I hoped that he could not hear my thoughts.

“They couldn’t see them,” I replied in a neutral tone.

“Or they neglected to tell you, but I’m sure you have neglected to tell them things as well.” He chuckled as he talked. “perhaps you aren’t a good match for the others.” He added.

I couldn’t argue with the logic, I had been closed off, and I didn’t share some of the cheeriness that everyone else seemed to have. The dragon may have been trying to manipulate me, but he was also correct.

“And if I’m not?” I asked.

“I know a good world we might be able to head into!” Azul replied.

“No.”

“Shot down so quickly, I suppose that is okay; how about another stop then?” he laughed as he spoke as if we were just having a casual conversation.

“If it will keep you quiet,” I replied as I stood up.

“Great! Just head straight.”

I began to walk through the grey woods once again until we pushed through into a new location. It was an open section with a stony tiled ground. To my back and sides were the woods, and to the front was the wall of myst. In the center of the stones, there was a tall monolith. I walked up and inspected the stone.

The monolith was carved with many shapes of people and animals. There were what I figured were words, but it was in a language I couldn’t read if that was the case.

“Ah, wonderful!” Azul said. His head stretched out away from mine to get closer to the stone. The body coiled around me would have theoretically been getting smaller, and though I knew it wasn’t the case, I felt a tightness around my neck as if the blue form was clamping down on my throat.

“What is this?” I asked mainly to distract from the suffocating sensation.

“An old artifact from a day long since passed.”

That didn’t clear up what the object was, but it did seem to relax some of the tension. At no point did I stop feeling like I couldn’t breathe, but it suddenly returned to normal.

“And why did you want to see it?” I asked.

The blue dragon chuckled.

“I have my reasons, dear,” he said. “why don’t we get a little closer.”

I sighed and stepped up to the slab. My face was less than my arm's length away.

Up close, the shapes were easy to make out. A slew of beasts flew free in the air while people on the ground knelt before them

“The good old days, you see,” Azul explained. “some humans made this as a gift to us back then before they betrayed us and locked us away.

One of the dragons did look like Azul; a serpentine form was twisted in the air.

“Is that all you wanted to say?” I asked.

“Not at all, dear Kiko; reach out and touch the stone for me!”

My palm sat gently on the cold stone.

There was a rumble, and then something dark like a shadow burst from the stone to me. I jumped back and pulled out my daggers, but nothing was there.

“Ease up,” Azul said, “you were merely given a key!”

“A key?”

“Yes, seven keys were forged to imprison my brethren and me. You have just obtained the first. Once all seven are collected, you can free us!”

It seemed that the serpentine dragon wanted to use this arrangement to get free. I suppose I couldn’t blame him.

“Once you are free, what will you do?” I asked.

“Hmm, I think I might like to stretch out and sleep for a couple centuries, it’s quite cramped in that little hole, but as thanks to you, I will assist with getting you back to where you belong,” Azul said with the best smile he could muster, it looked more like he was trying to snarl, but I suppose it was the thought that counted.

“Do you know what world I came from?”

“Not presently, but we could easily pass in and out of worlds until we found out!”

It sounded like Azul could move in and out of worlds, which would be quite handy. I felt confident that my few memories were developed enough to recognize something.

I suppose, in a way, this was a good deal, he would be free, and I could get back to where I left. Perhaps I was being overcautious after all.

“I will help you; on my honor, as a kunoichi, I will stand by your side,” I replied.

The words felt natural; perhaps I had been trained to say them to show my allegiance to who I was working for. Yet, at the same time, they stung, like I had already betrayed them once before. There was no telling the reason, so I let the worry pass.

Azul seemed happy.

“I’m glad to have you help! I also have a friend who can grant you a wish if you want!”

“Just getting home is enough,” I said with a laugh. I think it was the first one I made since, well, ever, as far as my memory told. Despite my initial caution, Azul seemed to be okay. Perhaps his draconic nature made him seem a little untrustworthy. Or maybe whatever I had been through before losing my memories influenced me. That could also be why I stayed cautious around the others. I imagine the closer someone resembled a person, the more difficult time I would have.

“Well, I think we’ve had enough fun for today!” Azul said as he stared at the myst.

“We might be able to get another key….”

I turned in the same direction. A shadow was moving around in the foggy wall.