The Consequences of Meeting a Dragon

There was a soft knock on the door, and Focilo entered Ariom's recovery room. Thenio appeared behind him in the doorway but stopped short as the little black dragon he was carrying spotted Ariom and started flapping his wings and squirming frantically, trying to get out of Thenio's arms.

"Wait...Iggy!"

Poor Thenio received several wing slaps in the face before Iggy finally worked himself free and flew haphazardly across the room. He narrowly avoided the lamp hanging over the bed and crashed down on top of Ariom, who was lying back against the pillows.

"Hey, be careful, will you? Crazy little guy..." Ariom scolded him gently, stroking the dragon's back soothingly as Iggy burrowed into his arms.

"Are you all right, Thenio?" Focilo asked, looking at the boy with concern.

Thenio tentatively touched his face where Iggy's wings had hit him. "Uh...I think so? He just surprised me. He was acting pretty calm a minute ago."

"He's had a difficult day too, in his own way," Focilo said, looking over at Iggy with one of his wrinkled smiles. "I suppose he finally reached his limit. He's still a child, after all."

Thenio nodded. "Yeah. I know he's been trying really hard to be good today. It's actually pretty impressive that he didn't start acting up until the explosion happened."

"Hear that? Thenio says you've been a really good boy," Ariom told Iggy, rubbing his head in between his tiny horns. "We'll have to reward you with a special treat. Since Thenio's insulation bands are working better now, maybe we can go to The Kraken's Kitchen for spicy fish balls. Would you like that?"

"Mmm," Iggy said in a muffled voice. His face was buried in the crook of Ariom's arm, and he was clinging onto his forearm with all four paws. Even his tail was wrapped tightly around Ariom's hand.

"Good. We'll talk about it after we get home." Ariom patted Iggy's back. Then he glanced over at Namyis, who was still sitting over on the side of the room. "Ah, right. Since the ice mage keeps insisting on staying here, I'd better put your new collar on."

He touched Iggy's harness and sent out a bit of magic power to access the space pocket attached to it. He was able to get into the pocket, but when he started looking for the collar, his magic faltered, making the objects inside feel like a fuzzy, indistinguishable mass.

Ariom frowned and tried again, but the result was the same. His magic exhaustion seemed to be too severe for him to use the space pocket properly. Iggy could normally use it himself, but looking at how he was acting right now....

"Why don't I give you a hand?" Focilo said, coming over to the bed. He reached out his hand toward the harness. "You said you wanted a collar?"

"Yes. It's made of green leather."

It was annoying that he had to ask for help with something so simple, but forcing it would probably damage the pocket. Ariom didn't value space pockets as much as most people did, since he could make his own, but recklessly destroying them was a bit much, even for him. So he gave up and let the doctor handle it. Fortunately, Iggy's pocket wasn't locked right now.

While Focilo searched for the collar, Ariom looked back at Thenio, who had finally come into the room and was closing the door behind him.

Ariom blinked a couple of times and then frowned a little. He felt like there was something...different about the boy. Something off. But he couldn't quite figure out what it was.

He shook his head. He was probably just tired. Focilo had been watching Thenio all day. He definitely would have noticed if there were anything wrong with him.

Ariom looked back down at Iggy. Focilo had found the collar and was slipping the leather band around the dragon's neck. He fastened it in place, and Ariom felt Iggy's grip on his arm relax a little as the insulation enchantment took effect.

"How are you feeling?" Focilo asked, looking Ariom up and down. "Your magic power is quite low, but you don't look too bad otherwise."

"I'm okay. Just tired." Ariom shot a glare in Namyis' direction. "And cold."

She put on an innocent expression. "You asked me to help you stay awake until Iggy got here, didn't you? So I was helping, just like you wanted! And I dried you off again...."

"I told you not to use ice water," Ariom growled.

"No, you said 'no ice.'" Namyis smiled sweetly at him. "You didn't say anything about the water."

Ariom snorted. Leave it to that crazy woman to take advantage of a little slip of the tongue. He'd have to be more careful in the future.

Assuming he ever had to work with her again, of course. For all he knew, this might be the last time they saw each other....

Well, that would be a good thing, wouldn't it? She was annoying. And she was a battlemage. And she'd splashed freezing cold water on him a few minutes ago, just because he'd started dozing—

Ariom's mental complaints about Namyis were suddenly interrupted by Thenio walking over to the bed while sliding a canvas bag off his shoulder.

"It looks like Iggy wants to stay with you, so I'll leave this here. It's the extra toys and things we brought for him. Plus some leftovers from the snacks that the staff here gave us."

Ariom involuntarily stiffened as Thenio came closer, and a chill ran along his spine.

There was definitely something wrong with that kid.

He stared as Thenio placed the bag down on the bedside table, trying to activate his magesight. But his magic was weak and sluggish. He couldn't get it to move how he wanted.

He glanced around at Namyis and Focilo. How could neither of them have noticed that sinister feeling that Thenio was giving off?

Namyis had noticed Ariom's stiff expression and was looking at him questioningly. But she didn't seem at all concerned about Thenio.

Feeling increasingly anxious, Ariom looked back at the boy, trying once again to force his magesight to activate. He should be able to tell what was wrong if he could just take a proper look. But his magic power was still too low to—

Wait. Low magic power...?

Ariom's eyes widened as he finally realized what was going on.

"Ariom?" Thenio had also noticed his unusual behavior and was looking at him uncertainly. "Are you okay?"

Ariom swallowed as he looked up at the boy in front of him. He somehow seemed much taller and more imposing than usual, with a slightly dangerous air about him. It was like looking at a bicorn or a wild fellwolf.

"So this is how non-magic people see you," Ariom said quietly. "You really do seem like a monster...."

He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth.

Thenio's eyes widened in shock, and he hastily moved a few steps back. "That...I...I'm sorry...." He continued backing away from the bed. "I was just bringing Iggy here...and I know you need to rest, so...I...uh...I'll wait in the hall!"

He said the last part in Focilo's direction as he spun around and half ran toward the door.

Before Ariom could say anything to stop him, he'd disappeared into the hallway.

Focilo gave Ariom a disapproving look, but his voice was still calm when he spoke. "I shouldn't leave the boy on his own—there's too much going on in this place. They assigned him the room at the end of this hall. We'll stay there until you or Bero are able to take him home. Get some sleep, Ariom. You obviously need it."

He followed Thenio out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

There was a long moment of silence.

"Be sure you apologize to him later, all right?" When Ariom turned to look at her, Namyis gave him a sad but understanding smile. "I know you didn't mean it how it sounded. Thenio should know that, too. He knows you don't really think he's a monster. But still...it hurts to hear something like that from someone you're close to. To feel rejected by someone you trust. So apologize properly the next time you see him. Okay?"

Ariom lowered his gaze, staring down at the little black dragon still hugging his arm. "Yeah...okay...."

Thenio stood rigidly against the wall outside Ariom's recovery room, staring unseeingly at a door on the opposite side of the hallway. Several people walked past, but he barely noticed them.

He knew he shouldn't be that shocked. It was hardly the first time someone had acted uncomfortable around him or thought he was strange or scary.

But when Ariom was the one doing it, it was...different, somehow.

Thenio looked down at his arms. There were several thin red scratches on them from Iggy's claws.

Seeing them dampened his mood even further. He knew the little dragon had been rushing to get to Ariom, not to get away from him.

But still....

A wrinkled hand reached out and touched the scratches on Thenio's right arm, and there was a soft glow of healing magic. When it faded, the scratches were gone.

Thenio looked up and saw Grandmaster Sephior standing beside him.

"Thanks..." he said quietly as the doctor moved his hand to the other arm and healed the scratches on it as well.

"Don't read too much into what Ariom said just now," Grandmaster Sephior said gently. "He's had a long, difficult day, and he's very tired and is suffering from magic exhaustion. So he's not his usual self."

"Yeah...I know. I shouldn't have let it upset me so much. I just...." Thenio trailed off and rubbed a hand over his face. "I guess I'm tired, too."

"Well, it's no wonder. You've been working hard." Grandmaster Sephior patted Thenio's shoulder. "Let's go to your recovery room so you can rest for a while."

Thenio nodded and followed the doctor down the hallway and into the room at the end. The medical staff had said they would set up a barrier around this room to make it safer for him to rest there.

"Try to get a little sleep," Grandmaster Sephior said, gesturing toward the bed. "I'll wake you when Bero gets back."

"Are you really okay just sitting here until then?" Thenio asked uncertainly. "It's pretty late. And you've been here all day, too...."

Grandmaster Sephior chuckled a little. "Don't worry about me, boy. I'm sturdier than I look. And I'm a doctor, so I'm used to long work days. I'll be fine."

Thenio was a little skeptical. He knew Grandmaster Sephior was a life mage and a sixth-rank sorcerer, both of which would boost his physical stamina. But he was also more than a hundred and fifty years old....

Well. He was one of the best doctors in Kafron. He probably didn't need any health advice from a sixteen-year-old magic assistant.

Thenio took his shoes off and lay down on the bed. Grandmaster Sephior dimmed the light for him, and then went to sit in one of the chairs on the side of the room.

After pulling a blanket over himself, Thenio glanced over at the doctor. "Uh...Ariom will be back to normal after he rests, right? My magic won't keep affecting him like that forever...will it?"

Grandmaster Sephior gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. "That's right. If it functions like a normal ranking effect does, then Ariom is only experiencing it because his magic power is too low to resist yours right now. It should disappear after he recovers. You don't need to worry."

Right. If it functioned like a normal ranking effect....

The answer didn't entirely ease his anxiety, but it was enough for Thenio to put his head down and close his eyes.

He thought he might have trouble sleeping, either because of his worries about Ariom or because of the awkwardness of having someone else in the room with him.

But he must have been even more tired than he realized, because once he finally relaxed, he quickly drifted off to sleep.

Thenio found himself standing in a large ceremonial hall.

Unlike many of his recent dreams, there was no sense of familiarity about the place. And he was surrounded by people he didn't recognize. Most of them were dressed in formal uniforms and were standing at attention.

Looking up, he saw a line of flags hanging at one end of the hall. In the center was the Kafron flag, and on either side were banners with the crests of the Kafron military and the Magic Corps. All the uniformed people were facing that direction.

This must be some kind of military ceremony, then. Why was he dreaming about something like this?

Puzzled, Thenio moved toward the front of the hall, where the flags were hanging, looking around for some hint as to what kind of ceremony he'd landed in the middle of.

None of the people he passed paid any attention to him. They didn't seem to notice he was there at all. Apparently he was a spectator in this dream, not a participant.

As he got closer to the front, he saw a number of chairs set up in neat rows. The people sitting in them were quiet, their expressions solemn. Rather than military uniforms, most of them were wearing...mourning clothes?

Thenio frowned. He looked toward the front of the hall. Ahead of the rows of seated people was a smaller group that was standing in a loose semi-circle. And in front of them....

Yes, there it was. A casket made of ash-colored wood, surrounded by flowers and draped with a cloth that had the crest of the Kafron Magic Corps on it.

This was a military funeral.

Thenio's frown deepened. He had some idea where he was now, but he still didn't know why he was having this kind of dream. He'd had dreams about the Magic Corps, of course—things like meeting famous battlemages or becoming a combat wizard and fighting demons.

But...a funeral?

He walked toward the group standing around the casket. Those should be the family members of the deceased, saying their final goodbyes before the casket was taken away to be buried. Maybe he would understand what was going on if he saw who they were.

As he got closer, he didn't immediately recognize any of them, although some of them were standing with their backs to him, so he couldn't see their faces.

But there were two men at the front that seemed somewhat familiar. One was standing next to the casket, staring silently at it. The second was behind him and a little to the side, as though he were watching over the first man. Both of them were wearing formal military uniforms, and they both had copper-tinted skin and flame-colored hair.

Fire mages? No, the one in front was probably flare or firestorm, since his hair was a brighter shade of orange, with gold streaks in it. The other man had darker red and orange hair, mixed with grey.

As he watched them, the second man turned his head to look at his companion, allowing Thenio to see his face clearly.

His eyes widened in surprise. He recognized that face. He'd seen pictures of it.

That was Kalion Obarin, General of the Magic Corps.

Or rather...it was a younger version of him. In the recent pictures Thenio had seen, the general's hair was mostly white.

He was looking at the man next to him with a tender, concerned expression. The two of them seemed to have a close relationship. Was the younger man General Obarin's relative? Or maybe one of his trainees?

Thenio still felt like he'd seen the other man somewhere before. His back definitely had a familiar look to it. But he didn't remember ever meeting any fire-type combat wizards.

He started circling around the mourning family so he could get a look at the man's face. But he paused after a few steps, his attention focusing on one of the children standing with the group.

It was a boy around Kleyo's age—seven or eight years old—with reddish brown hair and hazel eyes. An older woman standing next to him had just bent down and said something quietly in his ear, and he'd turned to give her a slightly panicked look in response.

"Go on," she said. Her voice was a little louder this time, so Thenio could just make out the words. "Go stand next to your father."

She put her hand on the boy's back to push him forward, and he reluctantly walked toward the two men at the front.

The younger man was still staring down at the casket and didn't seem to notice as the boy moved quietly up to his side.

The boy paused, looking uncertainly up at him. Then he slowly reached out to touch his father's hand with his own small one.

The man started at the touch, jerking away from his son and spinning around to face him.

"Don't touch me!" he snarled. "I told you not to come near me!"

General Obarin reacted immediately, stepping forward and putting his arm out to hold the other man back. "Riomel, stop," he said in a stern voice.

The younger man didn't reply. His yellow-orange eyes were focused on a third man who'd just hurried forward to put his arms protectively around the boy, who had frozen in fear. A man with golden hair, green eyes, and a familiar face.

Riomel Denifor glared at his younger brother. "Bero! You keep that boy away from me!"

Bero looked up at him with a pained expression. "I understand," he said quietly. "I will."

He lifted the boy into his arms and carried him out of the circle of family members, pausing briefly to look over at a green-haired woman who was standing with two other children—a girl who looked about ten years old and a boy who was probably four or five. The woman gave Bero a small, sad smile and a nod, presumably telling him to go ahead.

That must be Tilia, Bero's wife, and two of their children. Maybe the youngest one hadn't been born yet when this happened?

The girl was holding a dark red dragon with green eyes that Thenio recognized as Humerus. He looked up and said something to her, then jumped out of her arms and flew over to land on Bero's shoulder as he walked toward the side of the hall.

Bero approached a man who seemed to be an usher. "Is there a quiet room we could borrow for a few minutes?" he asked softly. "I think my nephew needs some time to calm down...."

The man nodded. "Yes, of course. Right this way."

Before he followed them out of the hall, Thenio glanced back at Riomel. He'd turned his head and was staring at the casket again.

So that was why he'd seemed so familiar....

Namyis was right. Apart from their sorcerer's stigmas giving them different coloring, Ariom really did look a lot like his father.

The usher led them to a small sitting room a little ways off the main hall. It had a sofa and a couple of chairs arranged in front of a fireplace.

The room was a bit cold, but the usher went over and started the fire by using a control panel set into the wall. It was apparently a magic fireplace similar to the ones Ariom had in his house.

"Can I get you anything?" the usher asked, looking at Bero and the young Ariom with sympathy.

Bero shook his head. "No. Thank you. We just need a little quiet time."

"I see. Then I'll leave you alone for now. There's a call button next to the door if you need anything."

After the usher had left the room, Bero went over to the sofa and sat down with a sigh. "You're getting about too big for me to carry around like this." He shifted Ariom's position so the boy was sitting on his lap and then rubbed his back soothingly. "But I guess you're not too big quite yet."

Ariom, who had his arms around his uncle's neck and his face pressed against his shoulder, didn't respond.

"Hey...Ariom...look at me for a minute?"

Ariom slowly lifted his head. There were tears in his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault, Ariom," Bero said gently, looking into his nephew's face and stroking his hair. "You didn't do anything wrong. Your grandmother should have known better than to push you forward like that. And your father...." He let out another sigh. "Well...how do I explain...?"

He exchanged a long look with Humerus, who had jumped off his shoulder and was sitting next to them on the sofa. Maybe he was asking the revenant for advice.

After a moment, Bero turned back to Ariom. "Look...you miss your mother, don't you? Doesn't it hurt to know she's not here with us anymore?"

Ariom nodded and sniffed a little. His tears were threatening to spill over.

"Your father feels that way, too. He misses her, and he's hurting a lot right now. And sometimes...when people are feeling a lot of pain like that...well...they can go a little crazy. They might say and do things they don't really mean. Your father doesn't hate you, and he didn't mean to hurt you. He's just kind of crazy right now. Crazy from all the pain he's feeling." Bero gave Ariom an apologetic smile. "Maybe that's hard for you to understand. But it should make more sense when you're older."

Ariom lowered his gaze. His expression was a bit skeptical, but he seemed to be thinking over his uncle's words.

Bero glanced at Humerus again. The revenant stood up, and his body shimmered a little. His red scales changed and morphed into soft-looking fur. He looked a bit like a red Storm dragon.

The now-fluffy Humerus jumped onto Ariom's lap, stood up on his back legs, and put his front paws on the boy's chest. Ariom lifted the revenant into his arms and held him tightly, burying his face in the dark red fur.

Humerus flattened his ears briefly, looking discontented. Then he let out a small sigh and laid his head on Ariom's shoulder, apparently resigning himself to being squeezed.

Bero smiled and gave Humerus' head a grateful pat. Then he rubbed Ariom's back again. "We're here for you, Ariom. I don't know when your father will be back to normal again. It might take a long time.... But you're not alone. We're your family, and we love you. Your Aunt Tilia and I will take care of you as long as you need us to. So you don't have to worry. Okay?"

Ariom nodded a little without raising his head. Bero put his arms around the boy and revenant, and the three of them sat quietly together.

Thenio couldn't help feeling a little guilty about watching such an intimate scene, even though he hadn't come into this dream on purpose.

He also wasn't sure how to leave....

As he stood there, fidgeting a little and wondering what he ought to do now, he suddenly sensed something behind him and turned around.

Part of the dream seemed to have faded away, so that one wall of the sitting room now opened onto Thenio's usual misty dream forest. Ki'shiu was standing a short distance away, watching him.

Relieved, Thenio walked over to the dream beast.

"What happened?" he asked, instinctively keeping his voice low, even though he was fairly sure the two people and revenant behind him couldn't hear it. "This is one of Ariom's memories, isn't it? How was I dreaming about something like this?"

You weren't. That wasn't your dream.

Thenio's eyes widened. "You mean...is Ariom dreaming about this right now? So I was seeing his dream?"

Yes. Dream magic allows you to access more than just your own dream world. Haven't I been coming into your dreams recently? And taking you into mine?

"Well...yeah. But you're a mythic beast. I never thought I'd be able to do something like that...."

Normally, you wouldn't. Getting past another person's mental defenses to enter their dreams is beyond your current skill level. Especially Ariom. His mind is quite guarded most of the time. But his fatigue and magic exhaustion are making him much more vulnerable than usual. Plus...this dream had some connection to you to begin with.

"A connection? What...?" Thenio blinked. "Oh."

Being rejected. Having someone you thought you were close to suddenly pull away.

Ariom's earlier reaction to Thenio's magic must have made him recall his memories of his mother's funeral and how his father treated him at the time.

Thenio was quiet for a minute, thinking.

"Ariom's father..." he said slowly. "He was wearing suppression bands, wasn't he?"

They'd been hidden by the long sleeves of the military uniform, but Thenio had caught a glimpse of a familiar-looking leather band on Riomel's wrist when he'd pulled his hand away from Ariom.

Yes, he was. He didn't become an inpatient at the Stability Center until after his wife died, but he was struggling with magic instability for some time before that, due to the stress.

"Then was what Bero told Ariom right? Did his father push him away like that because he'd gone crazy from grief? Or...."

Thenio trailed off. He didn't really know much about Riomel Denifor. He'd never even met the man, and it wasn't a safe topic to ask about when Ariom was around. But seeing that suppression band, he'd felt a sudden suspicion that Riomel's actions weren't quite what they appeared to be.

Ki'shiu tilted his head, apparently considering the question. I think...it's both right and wrong. Ariom's father has certainly done some irrational things out of grief and anger. But...it's also true that there are times when staying away from someone you care about is the only way to keep them safe. His ears fell, and there was a look of deep sorrow in his eyes. I've been through that kind of thing myself....

Thenio wasn't sure how to respond to that. Ki'shiu was obviously recalling some kind of painful memories, but he probably wouldn't talk about them, even if Thenio asked him. So rather than saying anything, he stepped closer and reached up to stroke the dream beast's soft white mane.

Ki'shiu lowered his head and lightly nuzzled Thenio's hair in response.

It was quiet for a moment.

Then suddenly, Ki'shiu's body stiffened, and he raised his head in alarm.

"What?" Startled, Thenio turned to see what he was looking at.

Ariom's dream was still going on in the background, with Bero and Humerus quietly comforting the young Ariom. But some kind of strange smoke had started coming out of the fireplace. It was a dark greenish-purple color, and it swirled and writhed in unsettling patterns.

"Corruption..." Ki'shiu hissed out loud, flattening his ears. He looked down with an urgent expression. "Thenio, hide!"

The power of his voice hit Thenio like a crashing wave. He felt it wrapping around him, drowning him. There was a brief choking sensation....

Then everything went black.