The Consequences of Meeting a Dragon

Namyis yawned and stretched her arms out in front of her.

She hadn't lied when she'd told Mideis that she could keep working for a week straight, but using high-concentration magic all day had been mentally tiring, and holding off an explosion and a rampaging revenant had drained quite a bit of her magic power. The combination made her feel a little sleepy.

She glanced enviously over at Ariom, who was sleeping deeply. He'd kept himself awake for a little while by brooding over what had happened with Thenio, but his exhaustion had won out before long. Iggy was asleep on a pillow next to him, still hugging one of Ariom's hands.

Namyis smiled as she watched them. The two of them really were cute sleeping together like that.

She stifled another yawn and turned her attention back to the book that was lying open on her lap.

She could drink some magic recovery medicine to perk herself back up if she needed to—she hadn't used any yet today. But it put less strain on the magic circuit to let power recover naturally.

She should feel better in an hour or two. She could put up with it until then.

To pass the time, she'd been reading a book on ice affinity magic beasts that Seyli had recommended to her. She'd had a little free time yesterday while she was in Gojir waiting for the raid mission to start, so she'd stopped by a bookstore and found a copy.

It was a nice book, with lots of beautiful pictures. Namyis lingered for a while on a page that showed a pair of Arctic Gryphons. She'd always loved that breed. They had such beautiful white fur and feathers.

Gryphons tended to be more tolerant of high-level sorcerers than most magic beasts were, and she'd seriously considered trying to convince one to form a familiar contract with her. But a mount didn't really suit her combat style, and it would be cruel to get a familiar only to make it stay in the military aviary whenever she was working.

In the end, she'd settled for just buying a carriage golem that was modeled after an Arctic Gryphon. Owning a golem wasn't at all the same as having a familiar, of course. But at least it wasn't bothered by her magic, and it didn't get bored staying in its storage shed most of the time.

Namyis flipped through the book until she found the chapter on ice-type dragons. One of these would make a perfect familiar. A dragon would be small enough to travel with easily but still have enough power and maneuverability to help her out during combat.

A few ice dragon breeds also had crystal primaries, which were rare among magic beasts. Of these, Namyis wasn't terribly fond of Glacier Dragons, which had heavy builds and thick plates instead of scales. And the spiky Hoarfrost Dragons looked even less cuddly than Humerus' skeleton. But Frostfeathers were beautiful, with slender, graceful bodies and crystalline scales and feathers that sparkled in the light.

If only dragons weren't so sensitive to magic power.... It was almost unheard of for one to be willing to form a familiar contract with a high-ranking sorcerer.

Namyis looked at a picture of an adorably fluffy Blizzard Dragon for a moment before sighing and flipping through the pages again.

She turned to a section on snow foxes. These were low-level magic beasts that weren't really suited for becoming familiars, so it was easier to think about them without feeling envious of other wizards.

She yawned again as she started reading.

Snow foxes lived on the outskirts of the Northern Wastelands. Namyis had seen a few from a distance when she'd gone to the north for Rift duty. Driving animals and magic beasts away from the area so they wouldn't come in contact with the miasma and turn into demons was one of the routine tasks that combat wizards were assigned to do while they were working there.

It was one of the few times when being scary to magic beasts was useful.

Namyis noticed her eyelids starting to droop a little. She shook her head and refocused on the words in the book. Reading seemed to be making her feel even sleepier. Maybe she should find something else to do once she finished this part about the foxes.

Snow foxes didn't really have enough magic power to create snow on their own, but they could manipulate natural snow. They used it to build dens and also created funnel traps to help them hunt, much like Namyis herself used ice walls to steer demon swarms during a subjugation.

Their need for snow must be why the foxes kept trying to move back into the Wastelands, even though they should be able to sense that it was dangerous....

Namyis shook her head again, trying to blink the sting of tiredness out of her eyes. She'd gotten distracted while reading about the foxes' diet and hunting habits. She started to reread the paragraph.

But before she finished it, she'd lost her focus again. Her vision blurred, and her eyelids closed....

The next thing she was aware of was the feeling of something shaking her hand.

She forced her eyes open a crack. Her head had fallen forward onto her chest. It felt terribly heavy, but she managed to lift it enough to see that her book had dropped to the floor, and there was a small black dragon on her lap. He was standing with his front legs on her hand, shaking it urgently.

"Iggy?" she murmured sleepily. "What...?"

He looked up at the sound of her voice. "Ice cream lady, wake up! You need to help! Ariom won't wake up, and there's nasty magic coming out! I don't want it to hurt him!"

Namyis blinked groggily. Nasty magic? What was he...?

Her eyes suddenly opened wide as she realized what was happening.

She lifted the hand Iggy wasn't standing on and slapped her own cheek several times, forcing herself out of her unnatural drowsiness.

Then she scooped up the little dragon and got to her feet. She stumbled over to the bed and mercilessly dumped a large amount of cold water onto Ariom's sleeping form.

"Ariom! Wake up! We're under attack!"

Focilo sat quietly, watching Thenio. At first glance, it seemed like the boy was merely sleeping peacefully. But Focilo's magesight was sensitive enough to pick up the subtle movement of his magic power.

Thenio was using dream magic.

It was a bit different than what he'd been doing during the day, when he was drawing magic formations. Was this what it looked like when he accessed the dream forest that he'd mentioned? Was he possibly meeting with...?

Focilo's brow furrowed a little. It was still difficult to believe that the Consort himself was giving a human child private magic lessons.

Focilo had actually met Ki'shiu before, many years ago. While he wasn't hostile toward humans, he didn't seem to be especially fond of them, either. And considering all the other responsibilities he had...Focilo had been quite shocked to hear how much time he and his agent were devoting to helping Thenio.

He'd already been taking his duty as Thenio's doctor seriously. But now....

Bero had told him that Ariom was feeling pressured by the knowledge that a mythic beast was watching over the boy he'd taken in. Focilo could definitely empathize with that.

If Ariom found out who Ki'shiu really was...he'd probably back out of the whole thing and wash his hands of Thenio as soon as possible. That would be a pity for both of them.

The Consort probably wouldn't do anything to him in retaliation. But there had already been some small signs of Ariom changing for the better as a result of taking responsibility for Thenio. He was a little more willing to come out of his shell and deal with difficult things when it was for the boy's sake.

Was that another effect of chaos magic? Focilo himself had felt a strong desire to help and protect Thenio, even before he'd learned about the Consort's interest in him. And magic beasts were obviously drawn to him.

Was it possible that the effect even extended to mythic beasts? Could that be why the Consort was so determined to save the chaos morphs?

It seemed ridiculous to think that a weak-looking child like Thenio could have that much of an effect on such a powerful creature, but....

Focilo paused his contemplation and turned his head toward the door.

A moment later, there was a quiet knock. Then the door opened, and a man wearing the Royal Guard's medical staff uniform entered the room.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," he said in a soft voice, smiling apologetically. "I was with another patient when you two came over to the infirmary. I'm sure the boy is in good hands with a grandmaster healer like you taking care of him. But I just wanted to check and see if he needed any—" He broke off, blinking at Focilo in confusion. "What are you doing?"

Focilo had gotten to his feet and moved swiftly over to the bed, positioning himself between the man and Thenio. With a wave of his hand, he threw up a thick golden barrier.

"Who are you?" he asked, eyes narrowed at the newcomer.

"I'm...Rimeus Telven. The head of the medical team." The other man was still wearing a bewildered expression. "What's wrong? Don't you remember me?"

"I remember Rimeus Telven," Focilo said quietly. "And yes, you look like him. But you're most certainly not him."

There was a brief silence, while the man continued staring at Focilo, looking disconcerted.

Then his expression suddenly changed. He threw back his head and laughed.

"Hey, you're not bad for a modern wizard," he said, giving Focilo a playful smirk.

"Modern...?" Focilo's eyes widened in horror. "You're—!" He desperately sent more magic into his barrier, trying to reinforce it.

But it wasn't enough. The man wearing Rimeus Telven's face gave a lazy flick of his hand and sent a wave of dark-colored magic crashing against the golden wall.

Focilo's barrier, which even a demon hunter would have struggled to break through, shattered with a single blow.

At the same time, magic formations started glowing all over the walls, floor, and ceiling. The space inside the room began warping and turning.

Focilo had been knocked back by the force of the barrier breaking. He stumbled a little, then regained his footing and turned toward the bed, pulling Thenio, who had just woken up, close to him and shielding him with his own body.

If Focilo's guess about that man's true identity was correct, then the Consort, powerful as he might be, wouldn't be able to help them right now.

It was up to him to protect the boy.

Thenio woke up with a start, coughing and gasping for breath. The feeling of Ki'shiu's magic being wrapped around him was still there. It was a sensation similar to high-level magic suppression, but even more uncomfortable. It felt like his whole body had been swaddled in a heavy blanket.

Was there something wrong with his eyes, too? The room in front of him was strangely distorted, like the space itself was being sucked into a whirlpool. And...were those magic formations glowing on the walls?

There was movement nearby, and something pulled him upward. Was that...Grandmaster Sephior? He was wrapping his arms protectively around Thenio, shielding him from...what, exactly?

Something above them fell with a crash, and Thenio saw the doctor wince a little as it hit his shoulder.

What was that? What was going on?

A minute later, everything came to a stop. The room became still and quiet, though it was suddenly much brighter than it had been before.

Then someone else started coughing. A harsh, wet cough.

Grandmaster Sephior loosened his hold and moved to the side, allowing Thenio to sit up and look past him, toward the sound.

His eyes widened in shock when he saw the man who was making it.

It was the doctor in charge of the medical team that had been helping out with the analysis project. Rimeus Telven. He'd come to the transcription room several times during their practice sessions to consult with Bero and Grandmaster Sephior.

He was standing a short distance away from the bed, coughing up blood.

"Ah...such a shoddy puppet...." Rimeus wiped his mouth off and looked down at his bloodstained hand in disgust. "Was the teleportation magic too much for it? I guess that's what I get for doing such a rushed job...."

He coughed again, bringing up a fresh splatter of red.

"Ebihan!" he shouted, turning to look behind him. "Where are you?"

"Here, my lord!" a slightly panicked voice called back. "I'm here!"

An anxious-looking man with greying blonde hair and green eyes hurried over from....

...where exactly had he come from? Thenio blinked in confusion, then looked around, trying to understand what he was seeing.

He was still in the same bed he'd fallen asleep in. The bedside table was also there, as were the chairs over on the side. Even the healing lamp that had been hanging above him was there, though it had fallen down onto the bed. That was probably what had made the crashing sound.

All the furniture was the same. But the room itself had changed.

The cream-colored walls of the recovery room had somehow turned into what looked like slabs of grey stone, with intricate magic formations inscribed all over them. Bright lights shone down from the ceiling, replacing the dimmed lighting from before. And the wall where the door had been was missing entirely. One side of the room now opened onto a wide corridor made of the same grey stone.

No. It wasn't open. When Thenio looked more closely, he saw the faint sheen of a magic barrier there.

The man called Ebihan had appeared from the right side of the corridor. He stood in front of the barrier and made a small bow to Rimeus. "Congratulations on the success of your plan, my lord. Not that there was any doubt you'd succeed, of course." He straightened up and looked over at where Grandmaster Sephior was sitting on the edge of the bed, still holding one arm protectively in front of Thenio and watching the two men warily. "Is that...Focilo Sephior? You brought him, too?"

Rimeus shrugged. "It looked like it was going to be a hassle to separate him from the boy. And I don't mind having another toy around to play with. Though it's a pity I couldn't get that enchanter instead...he would have been more entertaining...."

"Is it really safe to keep the head of the Stability Center here? The Magic Corps won't be happy about losing one of their best healers...."

Rimeus snorted, causing a small amount of blood to trickle out of his nose. "Who put the security enchantments around this base, Ebihan?"

"That...you did, my lord. You did." Ebihan nervously lowered his head again. "I apologize. I didn't mean to doubt—"

Rimeus waved a hand to silence him, and Ebihan stopped talking immediately.

"So you were after Thenio?" Grandmaster Sephior said quietly. "Why? What do you want with him?"

"Well, nothing much." Rimeus gave him a pleasant smile. Or at least a smile that might have been pleasant if he didn't have blood smeared around his mouth. "I heard that a new chaos morph had turned up in Kamari, and I was curious. So I wanted to have a look at him. That's all."

Grandmaster Sephior frowned. "What kind of 'look'?"

"Oh, you know. The usual. Scans. Tests. Maybe some dissection if he looks interesting enough to be worth the trouble." Rimeus' smile widened a little. Then his gaze shifted to Thenio, and the smile faded. "Though I must say he doesn't look that interesting so far. I expected chaos morphs to be something special, since no one's been able to figure them out yet. But isn't he just a common chimera? How disappointing...."

Thenio's eyebrows went up in surprise. A chimera? Him?

"What? You didn't know?" Rimeus smirked. "Necromancers these days really are pathetic...." He gave Grandmaster Sephior a scornful look. "Don't tell me you can't even recognize a chimera when you see one? And you're supposed to be a grandmaster necromancer?"

Grandmaster Sephior didn't say anything, and his expression didn't change. But Thenio could feel the hand on his shoulder tighten its grip slightly.

"Well...I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on you. You're just a modern wizard, after all," Rimeus went on in a mocking tone. Then his expression became more serious, and he looked at Thenio appraisingly. "Let's see...it looks like he has two magic circuits. One is life affinity, and the other...." He paused, frowning. "Is that a null affinity? Hmm.... The way they're fused together is a little strange. It makes it difficult to see clearly."

He was silent for a long moment, staring intently at Thenio. His eyes were already bloodshot, and as he continued his examination, red tears began slowly running down his face.

"This useless body...." Rimeus blinked and wiped the tears away with a scowl. "I'll have to bring over a decent puppet if I want to examine him properly." Then he laughed. "But it's no wonder your magic is unstable, boy. I've never seen a chimera with such tangled circuits. I guess you're interesting enough to be worth studying a little after all."

Thenio swallowed. He really didn't want that guy studying him any further. The bloody grin Rimeus was giving him wasn't at all reassuring....

"It's all right, boy," Grandmaster Sephior said softly. "I won't let him hurt you."

Rimeus threw his head back, chortling. "You won't, huh? A little baby necromancer like you actually thinks he can stop me? How amusing. Maybe getting you instead of the enchanter wasn't so bad." He stepped closer to them. "Now come along. Let's move you to a cell of your own. Then we can—"

He was interrupted by a brilliant flash of light, bright enough that Thenio had to close his eyes. There were rustling and creaking sounds all around him, like tree branches blowing in a high wind.

Then he smelled that scent again. That comforting, vanilla-like scent.

The light faded, and Thenio opened his eyes. He blinked for a moment, then stared in disbelief.

There were dark brown branches and green and gold leaves all around him, woven into a thick cage that surrounded him, Grandmaster Sephior, and the bed they were sitting on. The branches were a little thinner in front of them, thin enough that Thenio could still see Rimeus and Ebihan through the gaps.

Though he wished he couldn't....

Ebihan simply looked startled and confused. But Rimeus was glaring at them with a terrifyingly dark expression on his face. His eyes were once again dripping bloody tears, and this time he didn't bother to wipe them away.

"So you're one of his people," he said in a quiet, poisonous voice. "I see. I'll admit I wasn't expecting that."

There was a long silence, as he and Grandmaster Sephior stared at each other through the dark branches.

Then, Rimeus suddenly laughed again.

"That's fine, that's fine.... It would be boring if it were too easy, wouldn't it?" He was smiling playfully again, but the look in his bloodied eyes made the hair on the back of Thenio's neck stand on end. "Still easy enough, though.... All I have to do is wait you out." He turned to look at Ebihan. "Turn on the full suppression barrier. Those branches of his should be weak enough for me to break through by the time I get back here with a decent puppet."

"Uh...my lord...the boy's probably going to die if we leave him under full suppression for that long..." Ebihan said, glancing uncertainly at Thenio.

"I know that, you idiot," Rimeus snapped. "Are you questioning me?"

"No, my lord!" Ebihan said hastily. "Of course not! I would never! I simply wanted to make sure I understood your intentions...."

"It doesn't matter if he dies. Better for him to die from magic suppression than to destabilize and explode. As long as his body is intact, I can still examine his magic circuits well enough. And if I need him alive for some reason...well...I can always call his spirit back. I'm a proper necromancer, after all. Unlike the two of you." Rimeus shot Grandmaster Sephior a derisive sneer before turning back to Ebihan. "I'm leaving now. Increase the suppression as soon as I'm gone. Then keep an eye on them to make sure the tree man doesn't play any more tricks."

"Yes, my lord. I understand." Ebihan bowed again.

Rimeus gave Thenio and Grandmaster Sephior one last smirk. Then his body collapsed, and he lay lifeless on the ground, his eyes open and staring and his lips still curled up on one side.

Like a marionette whose strings had just been cut....

Thenio stared at the abandoned body in horror, only dimly aware of Ebihan moving to one side of the cell entrance and touching something on the wall.

The barrier shimmered. Thenio's feeling of suffocation suddenly became overpowering. The strength left his body, and he slumped against Grandmaster Sephior's side.

"Grandmaster..." he whispered. "I can't...."

His vision was growing dark.

"It's all right, boy," he heard Grandmaster Sephior's voice say. "Go ahead and rest for now. I'll protect you. I promise."

The doctor gently laid him back down on the bed. Thenio tried to thank him, but his mouth wouldn't form the words. And before he could try a second time, the world had gone black once again.