Kai rolled out of bed, or at least he would have if he had not been entangled in the snoozing arms of two beautiful women.

He lifted their arms carefully out of the way and shifted his position across the room.

Syl groaned as she rolled into the warm patch Kai left behind, and she reached for Alicia to pull her drooling spouse in closer.

Everytime Kai thought happily.

He smiled as he greeted the day.

Standing naked before the glass wall of their bedroom that looked out over the lake, he worked through his morning stretches as he thought about

Day was a strange concept in the domain. When they had first started to call the place home, it had been in a permanent state right between twilight and the golden hour.

But ever since he had brought Gift and Alicia into the bond, there had been subtle changes to the domain.

One of those changes was in the persistent afternoon twilight glow that covered the domain. Its direction somehow changing to match the time of day in the physical realm.

The prevailing theory was something to do with their light and shadow aspected mana effecting the domain in someway.

Kai had actually contemplated making the constellation of cores high above orbit in some approximation of a day a night cycle.

He ended up rejecting the idea when he thought about how jarring it would be seeing the cores rapidly orbit the domain when you were inside one of the domain's many temporal distortions.

Actually, thinking about it again… that might be a good way of people discovering that they had stumbled into a pocket of altered time before they accidentally lost too much time.

There had been incidents, and Kai worried. Mainly it was Orril and Ester getting distracted and losing days in their workshop. But still, better safe than sorry.

Maybe if they kept the light changes subtle, it wouldn't be like some toddler had snuck in the room and was playing with the light switch.

He decided he would could at least run the idea past everyone the next time there was a group meeting. Maybe poll the villagers to see how they felt about the possible change.

He chuckled, to think he had villagers in his soul

Who was that? Kai stood up straight and flooded his eyes with mana so he could pick out a figure walking along the path that had been worn into the perimeter of the lake.

It clearly wasn't one of the girls from team Korabain. They usually came over for the morning run around the lake a bit later than this so that sleepyheads, Alicia and Syl, could join them for their morning dose of gossip.

When his eyes focused on the distant figure, he grinned and let his raiment cover him in a fresh set of clothes as he summoned his cleansing stone to give himself a quick morning wash.

When he was done, he focused on the spot just off to the side of the figure and moved through the domain to greet them.

When he appeared in the new location, Omeg the Drus was kneeling at the lake's edge, sprinkling something into the shallow water that lapped at the shore's edge.

"Morning, Omeg."

"Morning, land master," Omeg said without looking away from what he was doing.

"Land Master?" Kai chuckled, "That's a new one."

"Are you not the master of this land?"

"I guess-"

"I accept." Omeg said, cutting Kai off.

"Accept?"

"Yes, yours proposal."

"Yours proposal-"

"I have spent a week wondering your garden, your land. It is vast and grows each day. The light is constant but not overbearing, with subtle variance due to changes in the landscape. More than suitable for a wide array of fauna I am familiar with. I believe I can make this place flourish. Wich if I am not mistaken, will enrich and empower your soul, as does all the beneficial life that has come to live here."

A week? Omeg only entered the domain yesterday. He must have slipped in and out of the different random temporal distortions.

Everything Omeg had said sounded good to Kai, but he had to wonder, "What do you want in return?"

"Just as yours suggested. I will establish a greater grove in the safety of your garden. All I ask is for food and nourishment from the outside so that my kin do not entirely become a part of you, like many of those that have already sought refuge here from the wider spirit realm."

Kai didn't remember making any suggestions, but he got the feeling Omeg saw them all as a unit or a collective and not as individuals. Knowing the general plan, Kai asked, "So, you want fertilisers of a physical nature? As it happens, I think we already have plans for that."

"Fertiliser, yes, I believe that is what yours would call it. Your waste is a crucial part of the cycle when properly returned to the earth. The treeants speak fondly of this place. But they warn me, should my kin fully embrace this place, they will find it difficult to leave. I need a promise that you will never trap us here."

"You have my word. All who live here are free to leave at any time."

"No, not all may leave. There are yours here that you do not know, and they can never leave. Now excuse me, I am seeding the waterways with young that will help filter what enrichment the new rivers and waterways will soon bring. There is much to do before the first rains. Establishing a Propper cycle is crucial to all that grows. I will contact yours when the first harvest is ready."

With the Omeg stood up and wandered further down the shore without even looking at Kai.

The guy was cryptic.

Kai once again wished he had coffee…

"Hey Omeg? Real quick, there is this bush, I think. It has these berries, no cherries, that…"

…

They had gathered in their inn's common room when all the usual morning activities and routines were handled.

Kai sat admiring Mira's new mask.

That he had only brought up the idea yesterday on a whim and less than a day later she was wearing it seemed a little insane to him.

"How's the fit? Does it pinch or rub anywhere? Feel wet, dry, cold or hot?" Ester asked as she leaned forward on the table to inspect the fit of Mira's mask for herself.

"N-no, I told you it's perfect," Mira said softly.

Kai chuckled. "Would you say it's purr-fect?" he said with a roll of his tongue.

Mira scowled at him, the cat reference confusing her as the mask shifted to perfectly reflect the expression without any delay.

"Yes, we need to test it. Everything, expressions, emotions, quick someone make her blush!" Ester said, talking rapidly as she leaned in further.

"Ester, how much sleep have you had exactly," Kai asked curiously as he watched the dwarf no bigger than the young beastkin across the table from her bounce in her seat with her enthusiasm.

"Why?"

"You're a little frantic."

She sat back and lifted her hands to start counting off with her fingers.

When Kai saw her get to six fingers, he relaxed a little.

"With six days…" she mumbled, "at a minimum four sleep hours each day until it was done…"

"You spent six days working on the mask!"

"More like five, I slept for about fourteen hours once it was done. Would have taken me longer if Talious hadn't come to check on me the second day."

Kai looked to Talious, and she shrugged.

"I was making sure she didn't mess up the horns. When I walked in, she was bickering with a piece of wood," Talious explained.

"Yes, well. It wasn't working, the enchantments, I went overboard…" Ester huffed. "The drain through the soul binding would be too much. The mask, as it was… Anvil rot. The mask wasn't going to work. But with Talious' help we-"

Talious coughed.

"-made some adjustments. Changed the material the horns were made from to something that actually enhances the mask's arcane aspects significantly."

Kai glanced at the mask. The surface, the face, it was a soft flesh tone that was just a little lighter than Mira's own.

Originally it had been just polished ebony wood, but the moment Mira had placed it on her face and bound it to her soul the colour and texture of the material changed so much Kai would have guessed it was made from flesh if he didn't know better.

The horns, however, didn't change or move as the face of the mask did. They remained in place as the pseudo flesh shifted and moved with Mira's own. The soft, slightly matte, black material of the horns looked more like they broke through from beneath the mask instead of being part of it.

Reaching forward, he gave Mira a gesture that asked for permission to touch. When she nodded, he traced a finger along the material and then, out of curiosity, gave them a slight tug as he asked Ester, "What are they actually made of?"

"Hey!" Mira complained as she reached up to shoo away Kai. "I feel everything."

Ester grinned. "Let's just say making that mask gave me an achievement when I finished it, and yes, Mira, one of the things worked into the mask by Talious was a sense of touch."

"One of the things?" Mira's mask blinked, the eyelids Kai had carved closing over clear lenses that seemed to bring Mira's eyes forward just enough to make you believe they were part of the mask.

"That's impressive, really sells that it's the mask she is wearing and not her actual, well, you know..."

"You like?" Ester said as she grabbed Kai's arm, "The things Talious showed me make my enchantments and runes look like child's play. You should see what happens when she gets mad."

The table rattled as Talious let out a low growl in warning.

"Sorry, Talious, I know I promised," Ester said as she made a gesture of closing her mouth and locking it with an invisible key she tossed back over her shoulder.

"I'm guessing those lenses don't affect your vision?" Kai asked Mira directly.

"Not at all, but I'm still getting used to the slight changes that mana sight makes."

"So the mask passes? Better than a bandage or a blindfold."

Mira reached up to touch the bottom of the mask, which formed a delicate upper lip and the cheeks of the mask, flushed as she smiled. "Its, p-purrfect."

Seeing the mask blush, Ester started bouncing in the seat beside Kai as she enthusiastically punched him in the leg. "What did I tell you!"

Talious looked at Mira and smiled. "Yes, it has been an honour contributing to the project."

Temra eye'd Mira for a bit before she sighed. "She has been here what, two days and is getting gifts like that. I should have slept with Kai…" Temra said with a sigh as she got up. "I am going to the guild to get your reward for the dungeon upgrade. I'll see if they have a report on its reclassification. Remember, you have been banned you from running dungeons while they figure things out. Besides that, it's my day off and I'm planning on ambushing Kardy before that trollop corners him again. All that I do for you, and he's the one that gets me gifts."

She went to storm off but stopped a table away to turn back and point to Kai, "You, don't forget that appointment, and by the spirits, don't let Talious leave your side. If you see a woman with badly dyed red hair, run. Her letters are at the top of the creepy dangerous list."

"Eggs, I have decided, dragons produce eggs for a reason," Talious said as soon as she thought the touchy pregnant Gnomel woman wouldn't hear her.

"It's not so bad, honestly, it was so much worse back on Earth. Without a functional mana core to ease the burden on the body, expecting mothers can get really cranky," Syl said thoughtfully.

"If you say so. You all finished?" Talious asked Syl.

"Yeah, I'm done in the domain. Setting up a giant oven to auto-burn dungeon scraps was harder than I thought it would be," Syl said, using their new term they had all agreed on for the biological matter they retrieved from the dungeon but couldn't sell. "Running a small batch. Omeg should let me know if it's any good any moment now… yes… wow, he is chatty… he says it is a good start. We can go to the riders association now. Let's make this quick. I want to go shopping."

"Right, I'm bringing the privacy barrier down. Watch what you say," Talious said as she eyed Ester. "That especially means you."

The air surrounding them shimmered as Talious brought down her privacy barrier and Ester added another lock to her lips.

There was a moment of silence before Talious showed a toothy grin and said loudly, "Just how long are you going to make us wait?"

Silence.

"I asked. How long are you going to make us wait?" Talious said, her voice carrying clearly across the morning common room to the riders association escort slumped at his corner table.

The mans head jumped up from the wood of the table, and he looked around in confusion.

"Yes, I am speaking to you. We would like to attend the Riders Association, as you have been so vigilant in your duties. I believe it is only fair I throw you some meat and let you escort us."

Kai had never seen someone go from tired and run down to up and ready so fast.

"It would be my honour?" The man said as he calmy walked up to their table. All his prior pomp dissolved during his weeks stewing at the inn to be replaced with a modicum of humility.

The associate escort looked at Mira and asked, "Is this the third you mentioned?"

Alicia giggled. "No, that would be me and Gift here."

"Yeah, don't you know a dragon when you see one," Gift jeered playfully.

The man looked at Gift as he sat in Alicia's lap drawing pictures of a little white twin tailed fox riding a mighty gold dragon.

Kai had to chuckle when the man's eyes went wide.

"My profuse apologies."

"That's okay, it's only been a couple of days, even I'm not used to it."

There was an awkward pause as the man collected himself.

"Yes… er, will the other two be joining us? I must admit it is unusual that you were able to keep them out of sight for so long. Those back at the association believed that they would long reveal themselves and you would be forced to attend much sooner."

"They're under strict rules not to reveal themselves, you will meet them both at the association. Now if you will," Talious said as she got up to lift a sleepy little white fox from her lap and place it on her head.

The rest of the group followed suit and stood up from the table.

There, want to be escort looked at all of them, nodded once and said, "Right this way," as he took a step back from the table.

Twenty minutes later, Talious had to begrudgingly admit she would have got lost. She, of course, used the excuse that the city looked different from the ground and that there had been significant changes while she was isolated in the Dawn Empires' locked off territory.

Eventually, they were guided through a massive courtyard that was about three times larger than the landing pad connected to the great hall of the Dawn Palace.

"The association was built to accommodate at most, around four larger dragons at once. Though rare, is a day that more than two attended any function at the same. This has the effect of freeing up more room for more much younger dragons to find comfortable space within the halls," their escort said as she gestured to the building at the end of the courtyard.

"What happened to the roost? I'm sure there was a roost," Talious asked.

"The roost was taken down back when airships became popular. The then manager Tarruk and his dragon Aarrdewynial the majestic tried to fight it. But they were the only riders that had utilised the roost in a decade or two at the time. The city authority, however, offered a three thousand year tax free lease on the land, up to a designated height, that was too good to refuse."

"Excuse me, but did you say his dragon?"

"I- I meant no offence."

"I'm sure you didn't, but it's an odd slipup for a member of the association to make."

Their escort coughed, "With the removal of the roost and the lack of rent costs, the main building was remodelled many times. One of the major works was the roof as it strengthened to accommodate the weight of a fully grown dragon. That then became the main point of entry for larger visiting dragons who could no longer fit through the great doors. While extending into the courtyard was proposed many times, it has been maintained to accommodate larger gatherings."

"The roof was reinforced for fully grown dragons?" Talious said as she gave the man a sly look.

"Yes, the roof serves as an additional landing location for dragons."

"Are you saying I'm heavy?" Talious asked in a dangerous tone. "Fat? Overweight?"

"Of course not," their escort stammered.

"But as far as I know, I am one of the oldest, if not the largest, dragons alive on all of Alea, and I'm still only considered a child to dragons out in the larger multiverse. But you had to reinforce the roof."

The poor man had no reply to that.

"Talious, stop playing with him and let him do his job," Syl said.

"Why is this your job?" Kai asked out of curiosity.

"As a boy, I was saved by an association rider from being a se- from slavery. I offered them my loyalty on the system. I was brought here, where I have served ever since," he explained.

"So you're not some squire trying to become a rider?" Talious asked, eyeing the man again.

"I am not worthy," he said with a reserved bow of his head. "I believe your kind find me too subservient. Still, I am content with my position."

"Humble. Here look after Sicily," Talious said as she deposited the sleeping fox on Mira's head and moved away from the group.

Fire tore from her lips, the flames it wrapped around her as it billowed, her mighty dragon form stepping forward to approach the great doors.

It was clear they were a little too small as despite her elegant form she was still quite big.

She knocked, the loud thud echoing through the courtyard as she proceeded to leap up the side of the building like a cat mounding a high wall.

Talious got to the roof in one jump without even unfurling her wings, and she stopped to look about.

"This does not look like it has been used in a while," her voice floated down from above.

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"Most of the riders, the large dragons, they have left to explore the Dawn Empire," their escort called back eagerly.

Talious nodded as she slinked out of sight. "I see the entrance. Remember your decorum, see you inside."

Kai turned to see the escort looking up at the spot where Talious had just vanished.

His face was split from cheek to cheek.

"What is it?" Kai asked.

"Forgive me, I just won a rather large wager."

There was a sound, and a low rumble filled the courtyard as the great doors started to open.

"That's convenient. Now if you will follow me," their escort said with a grin.

Kai heard mumbling, and he turned back to see a crowd of stunned onlookers gathering the length of the tall metal railings that separated the courtyard from the city street.

"Everywhere we go," Syl said as she slipped her arm into Kai's. "Pretty soon we're going to need an honour guard."

"I'm sure my father is already working on that," Alica said as she came to his other side to take his hand.

"I was kind of hoping our personal power would be enough," Kai muttered as he wished they hadn't dismissed his plan to wear the Spectral Cloaks and go unnoticed through the city.

Syl gave him a skeptical look. "Against the masses and their combined curiosity and-"

"Adoration," Alicia added.

"Personal power is unlikely to match your needs against that level of attention. At least not until we tier up and gain more levels. Even then, we'll be specs in the eyes of the multiverse," Syl finished.

Gift pointed his mom's head towards the great doors from where he sat riding on Alicia's shoulders, "Come on, Mom, let's go, I want to meet the other dragons."

Alicia gave Kai a pained look as she twisted her head in Gift's grip. "He's your son how come you aren't carrying him?"

"Normally I would love to, but we're each carrying our own dragon today," Kai said as he gently patted his shirt. "Besides, I gave him to you ages ago, and you didn't complain back then."

Castiel popped her head out of his shirt and cooed in agreement.

"And don't say he's heavy, we all know he's not. That Fayriel's favourite trick."

"His butt is kind of boney and he keeps wriggling."

"Hey!" Gift complained.

"Just wait till you're a century, that's when the fun really begins," Sly teased as she got the group moving with a gentle tug on Kai's arm.

"Syl!" Alicia cried, her cheeks turning pink.

"W-what are you talking about?" Mira asked from where she shadowed Syl.

"Babies, hundreds of them. Now come here, you're with me today," Ester said as she took Mira's arm and pulled her in to start whispering things in her curious ears.

Kai heard bits and pieces of their conversation as they were approaching the doors. He was trying to mind his own business, but his ears burned as he heard family and babies more than once.

He nearly tripped when Niamh and Aoife's names broke through the murmuring.

He looked at Syl horrified as she helped him recover from the stumble.

She didn't even look at him, she just smiled softly.

Things only started to settle in his mind when he caught not my type and little sister in one particular sentence.

That apparently led to Ester explaining what exactly siblings were to Mira and how this was actually a little more complicated for dragons.

Kai went back to minding his business just as a familiar wave of pressure blasted out of the open doors.

Talious flare of aura, declaring it was officially showtime.

They rushed through the open doors to find two guards on either side of the hall looking back down the hall in horror as they lowered their spears to the threat but dared not move.

The hall was about the same in its dimensions as the great hall of the palace in El'alora but not as long.

At the far end a spiral ladder that must have been made for dragons coiled back up into the ceiling as Talious stood over a brilliant blue sapphire dragon two thirds her size, one hand holding his neck to the ground as she held his torso in place with one of her hind legs.

Two smaller dragons, one was silvery grey, the other a deep green, lowered themselves, riders preparing to mount their harnesses but locked in place by the pressure of Talious aura.

"Krasus, you are not so young to blame your lack of understanding on such trivial things. Search the ancestral mind, I'll wait," Talious growled as she loomed over the smaller blue dragon in her grip.

"Talious, release him," Kai said firmly as he came stop part way down the long hall.

"He has ignored the call, dismissed your lineage as wild speculation and rumour. Worse, he has poisoned the young to believe the news spread through the link my kind share was fake. As if facts could be fake when backed by so much evidence."

"Talious, please release him," Kai said calmly, his words carried on a thin wave of his aura to fill the room.

This was near the limit of his control. Kai's understanding of his aura, what it actualy was and what he could do with it, was all still in its infancy.

But just as intended, he had made his words a request. A request Talious had to resist.

"I would do as he asks, your level difference isn't so high that you could completely resist a command," Syl said, her words imparted with truth that all who heard the words would know, whether they understood the language she used or not.

Syl's control and understanding of aura, significantly superior to Kai's own ability.

Alicia sighed through the bond. It was too soon for her to reveal what she had learned. Her words were too weak. Her ability to use a variation of dragon tongue alone would be enough to cause a volatile reaction that would be harder to recover from.

Talious let out a breath and lifted her talons, and the sapphire blue dragon rolled to look at Kai and Syl with piercing ruby eyes.

Kai felt something was over him as his identity pendent chilled.

"Talious, what have you done? This was forbidden," Krasus growled as his lips curled back to reveal deadly white teeth.

Talious taloned hand slapped back down on his neck, her claws wrapping around it just behind his neck crest, the sound of scales straining under her grip as they rubbed against one another filling the hall.

"I have done nothing, this they achieved before I even knew of their existence. Dont forget I was young when the elders made such a thing taboo in the first place!" She growled, her own truth carried through her aura.

Some might say she was lying since she had actually helped them achieve the level of control needed to use the words of command at will. But a technicality of Kai using it unintentionally against Trengor meant her choice of words wrang true when spoken this way.

The thing was they weren't speaking dragon tongue, and even calling it High El'viairen, a dialect Alicia had happily slipped into, that seemed to affect people differently to dragon tongue still wasn't an accurate description of the tongue Kai and Syl were actually using.

When Alicia applied her mana and her aura to her words, they lacked the power of command, while they still carried the undeniable essence of truth.

When Kai and Syl spoke this way, their words could carry command, intent, truth and something more they hadn't been able to explain.

Dragon tongue itself only seemed to carry command and truth as no matter how much Talious practiced with it, she could not convey intent.

Only through Kai speaking nonsense one time as he tried to figure out how the truth of his words actually worked, did they discover intent was a factor as surprisingly, when Kai finished his nonsensical sentence did the others discover they got the gist as Kai intended it. It was like how a drunk person would say absolute gibberish, but you still knew they were being kind even when they sounded intentionally harsh.

The discovery of the branching abilities was what had led to this little display.

"Show this fool the truth, I vow to break him should he break your trust," Talious growled.

Kai and Syl looked at each other and then together made a show of removing the pendants from their necks

A familiar feeling washed over him, and he had to work to control what information was revealed in the examination and to whom it was delivered too.

"They are of the lost! The masters? Impossible." Krasus barked, his big ruby eyes blinking in consternation.

Talious shifted to apply pressure.

"It is true we are what you see," Syl said, confirming it with the unmistakable truth of her words.

"The lost? You mean the Alitarri," Gift chuckled.

Kai's head buzzed as a whole new pressure washed over the room.

When Kai looked back up, Talious the red was gone, in her place stood Atheos, her scale diminished as she used Talious as some kind of divine Embodyment.

He glanced at Mira and corrected himself.

Atheos used Talious as a divine avatar.

"Gift, hold your tongue," she warned. "It seems that because you gained access to the ancestral memories in an unprecedented way, the restrictions do not apply. You must be careful. Those that protect you can only do so much."

"Grandmother, I'm sorry…" Gift said apologetically as he lowered his head and his two sets of ears wilted under Atheos gaze.

"Do not apologise, this, this was… unforeseen," her lips curled back in a smile. "It bodes well for what lies ahead. But it could also draw, let's call it, unwanted attention."

"I understand."

"The truth is restricted, this new knowledge is forbidden. Speak what you know between yourselves, but do not search for more answers. You are all too young, the path is still too dark and dangerous." Atheos said as she made a point of looking at all those present, lingering on the two smaller dragons before staring down at Krasus. And for spirits' sake, child, abandon that pride, wear the guise of the Alitarri and their kin, your old enough to do it. You will learn much, as I am sure Talious will tell you."

Suddenly, the imposing white dragon stumbled, wilting back away from an awestruck blue dragon as her scales flickered and changed back to a deep ember red.

"I must go, Talious is too young, and this world is still closed."

Her divine pressure faded, and Talious the Red collapsed.

Krasus leapt forward to duck in under her to catch her as she collapsed.

Once Talious had recovered and reduced herself to her humanoid form, they left the four rattled guards and their escort behind closed doors as they moved to a more private setting in a side chamber, where comfortable seating waited for them.

"Alitarri, that's the word… fuck, that's all I can say. The rest is still forbidden knowledge," he said as he looked to gift.

He had changed to his dragon form and lay on Alicia's lap, noticing Kai's gaze, he lifted head and shook his horns. "You heard Grandmother, I ain't saying anything."

Talious groaned in the seat next to Kai, with a concerned Sicily pawing at her as on her head. "This was not the plan," Talious complained.

The two riders sat on a couch opposite them looked at each other. It was as if they were daring the other to ask what they both had on their minds.

"What exactly is an Alitarri?" The human rider called Eloreth asked.

Kai went to tell her he was one of them, but the words caught, and he found he couldn't reveal that it that way.

"The Alitarri are the lost," Syl said, using connections that had already been made to say a bit more. She left the rest for them to piece together based on what had been said already.

Kai felt his pendent go cold.

"This says human," Eloreth said, squinting at Kai and then at Syl.

Kai sighed and removed his pendant again. They had already achieved a system oath of secrecy from the two riders thanks to Syl and Alicia prompting.

Seeing him lift the pendant free, they examined him again.

"High human?"

The dwarven rider called Reuth scoffed at her fellow rider, "I see High'dwimmer and Dwimmer's thick tongue for dwarf. This makes no sense at all, you're too tall for a dwarf. And why do we see different things?"

"It's the system restricting the truth it doesn't want revealed," Syl said, then in typical Syl fashion she launched into an explanation. "The system is showing you the most relevant race to you and your understanding. What you call high'dwimmer, Alicia here see's as High'viairen, and dragons see the lost. All those mythical ancestor races are all in fact the same thing. It causes a system conflict when it tries to hide the information. I saw something else once, but it appears Alitarri might be the correct term for… damn I was doing so well then forbidden knowledge."

"Fascinating…" Krasus growled from where he lay behind the couch the two riders were sitting on. "But that does not explain why this one has our scent, it clearly is not his hatchlings, that remains distinct. This is more powerful, older."

Kai held up both arms, his scales catching the light as they rippled up his arms. "I absorbed-"

"He absorbed something gifted to him by Trengor, another divine dragon we've met. He made it part of him. Accidentally. But he is embracing it," Syl said, placing an arm on his shoulder.

"He absorbed part of a divine dragon? That explains the distinct… aroma," Krasus said thoughtfully.

"It drives me mad," Talious said with a roll of her eyes.

"I can Imagine."

"Though Atheos insists that Kai's scent is actually his own."

"What's this about?" Kai asked as he carefully sniffed his armpit.

"Nothing, dear," Syl said as she leaned into him and tapped his knee sympathetically.

"Okay, what was that about?" Kai asked as Syl's knee tap just confused him further.

"Nothing, dear," Alicia said as she placed her hand on his other knee and squeezed.

When he leaned forward to look along the seat for an exploration from someone else, Ester just shook her head as she chuckled.

Atleast Mira had the dignity to look just as confused as he was.

Krasus let out a heavy breath. "And I thought I didn't get out enough."

"You should go to the Dawn Empire for a bit, Dragons have full citizenship. You even get paid for hunting dangerous prey and helping with reestablishing the empire," Alicia said diplomatically.

"I can't. The city has a contract where one rider over a certain level must remain on watch over the city. While my companion has passed, I still fill the obligation as a rider with a sufficiently high level. I remain so that other riders may enjoy their freedom."

"Could I not technically fulfil that role? I believe I should still be a member of the association," Talious said thoughtfully as she stroked Sicily.

Krasus' big ruby eye blinked as he seemed to think it over.

"I am more than enough to protect the hatchlings, that was your intention when calling us here. The main reason why the riders came together and formed the association."

"Yes… that was the intention."

"Then find the time. We plan to stay here for at least the next four or five years. I will fulfil the obligation."

Talious paused, and she got an evil look in her eye. "But really, to even insinuate you had to confirm the eggs weren't stolen," Talious huffed.

"I was obligated."

"Has anyone even reported a stolen egg?" she replied argumentatively.

"No, but eggs go missing all the time. Eloreth here found Arnieal's egg and hatched it herself. She passed all the trials. But Talious, you should understand, even if no one has reported an egg stolen, we must be vigilant."

"Well, they bonded in the shell. The trials are irrelevant," Talious replied.

"The Shell?"

"Yes, the two little ones initiated the bond from within the shell. It was complicated and drew dangerous attention."

Krasus looked back over his shoulder in surprise.

"What's this about stolen eggs," Kai asked.

"That is one of the things the Association was created to do. We deter people from stealing eggs, then forcing them to hatch and enslaving nieve young hatchlings. Let me tell you about a dragon named You," Krasus said, sounding sagely.

Talious groaned, "Way ahead of you, kid. They know You's story."

"That saves time," Krasus said, completely ignoring the fact Talious had called him kid.

"Beginning to think that is a cautionary tale," Kai chuckled.

"No, You is quite real, she has taken advantage of the offer from the imperial trinity last time I felt out the link. Don't know much more than that. The link is fuzzy, truthfully, it only really works well with those in the ley lines. Which is why I'm not actually mad at Krasus here for being skeptical and ensuring others weren't so nieve to believe what amounts to gossip."

Krasus rubbed his neck where Talious held him down, but said nothing.

Hating the awkward silence, Kai asked, "So, stolen eggs are a no no, that's understandable. But what is this about trials? And why do I feel like there's a lot more to this than is being said?"

"You see, there's a kind of hierarchy among riders-" Eloreth started to say.

"No, there isn't," Reuth interrupted.

"You only say that because Foe Hammer chose you and you didn't have to go through all the trials I did."

"Riders," Krasus warned. "There is no hierarchy among us, we are all equal."

"You always say that. But you're always ordering us around. I'm the elder this, the elder that," Eloreth complained.

"Dont forget, you are trainees this and that, or how he is constantly reminding us that we were still on probation," Reuth added. "As if foe hammer would give me up."

Krasus sighed. "While there is no hierarchy. I will admit, there is what I would call subliminal honour. If an older dragon such as myself, especially one that has lost a rider before, it is seen as a high honour as this is incredibly rare."

Sicily yipped from atop Talious's head, and Talious shushed her.

Krasus eyed the fox for a moment before glancing at Talious sitting on the couch in surprise.

Talious coughed and gestured for Krasus to go on.

"If a younger dragon chooses a rider, that too is an honour, as they will make the decision only if they feel it is what right. In all these cases, the dragon chooses… things get a little complicated with other riders."

"He means if someone finds an egg or a hatchling and raises them, it's just luck. No honour involved," Eloreth sighed.

"You honour yourself by raising a dragon on your own. The trials are merely meant to weed out those who abuse the treasure fate leads them to. You yourself know the importance of the distinction we make, as you have saved a stolen hatchling from a life of servitude to an unforgiving master that only sought power and prestige."

Eloreth sat up a little straighter and asked, "How is the little guy?"

"I believe she is content. Though I doubt she will be comfortable around your kind for many years."

"What do you do to people who steal an egg? Those that kidnap hatchlings?" Kai asked as he sensed another silence coming on.

"The penalty is death, no exception…"

Talious cleared her throat with an "ahem."

"The theft. It must be intentional," Krasus clarified. "And the kidnapping must not be an act of liberation."

"And you thought we stole eggs?" Syl asked, seeing what had given Talious the means to confront Krasus in the first place.

"Two hatchlings and a report of another egg about to hatch is… suspicious. Never has more than one egg been given, especially not to the same group of people. The records were checked extensively."

"Why was it suspicious? You knew I was there with them," Talious asked.

"I did not quite believe you had reduced yourself to their form. That one such as yourself would walk among them. I believed it was some foolish deception and looked forward to revealing your true identity."

"And yet you waited?"

Krasus blinked as he realised there was a trap in the line of questioning.

"I was waiting for a mistake to be made, that why I had someone wait and observe when you did not come," he tried to explain.

"When hatchlings were in the hands of thieves," Talious raised the contradiction in Krasus' words when compared to his obligations.

"The reports seemed fictitious. Not one person has reported an actual sighting we could verify."

Syl pointed at Castiel and Fayriel as they crawled all over the riders' dragons, Arnieal and Foe Hammer. Blinking in and out of existence as they were playfully swiped at by the much larger dragons.

"Yes, their abilities are certainly unique… what environment could incubate such traits? Is it replicable?" Krasus asked as he turned back to look at each of them in turn. "If we had an egg and gave it to this one, could she produce another, primordial?"

Before anyone could answer, Ester jumped to her fear and shook her head vehemently, "Nope, not happening, I'm surrounded by enough legendary creatures as it is. Besides, I have my eye on someone already. They're as stubborn as me, but I like that! So no thankyou!"

The riders both facepalmed.

"What?"

"We have a saying: the best riders are often those that refuse the honour," Reuth explained.

"Yes, were there an available egg, I would find it hard not to give it to you. Few can resist such temptation," Krasus chuckled.

He shifted his gaze to Mira, "I see that you have honoured this one? It is appropriate that one of her kind should find such company. Should I-"

Talious shook her head, Sicily jumping down to curl back into a ball on her lap.

"Yes, even I understand, I feel them now exploring the hall as we speak."

"But to answer your question. No, Castiel and Fayriel's conception started eons ago. Their eggs were born of a divine womb, which is difficult enough, then altered and incubated in a unique location."

"And Gift? He was hatched just recently."

"Gift's… Gift. You met his grandmother, as her Chosen on Alea I encourage you to reach out to her."

Krasus fell silent as he thought for a long time before saying, "Praying does not come naturally. But with what I have witnessed, what I have felt, I will reach out."

"Good boy."

The hall went quiet again as Krasus pained breath died away.

"What's the highest honour?" Alicia asked.

"That would be those gifted an egg, not out of need or desperation, but freely given."

"This whole freely given thing is important to dragons," Kai commented as he turned to Syl, then back to Krasus, "What about a dungeon reward or something like that?"

"Dungeon dragons are… unusual. All instinct and pre-programming. The dragons spawned from such eggs take long to incubate… Why?"

"It's complicated," Talious said as she gave Kai a look.

"What is it?" Krasus asked suspiciously. "Are you saying those two hatchling were dungeon rewards?"

"Despite what his questions imply, it is far more complicated. Again, reach out to Atheos, or there is her mate Trengor if you're a mosaicist. His explanations are more like riddles. They're frustratingly short."

Kai learnt forward. "What now, we're here, we have time."

"Well.." Krasus looked back at Fayriel and Castiel, then turning back, he looked at Gift for a while before he said, "They're certainly not stolen, but some might say they bonded too soon. They would enter probation of course, learn to ride with the proper equipment when they are old enough. Normally the association would offer a stipend to cover the cost of feeding the hatchlings before they learn to hunt, then we would take steps to provide a safe hunting ground. But they seem more than well fed, they certainly have the confidence of a well cared for hatching."

"I'm handling that. They hunt freely, their diet is mixed and regular. They do not gorge, nor do they starve. Their prey varied and ethical."

"Where?! Not in a dungeon, I hope."

Talious leant back and folded her arms. "Handling it, even if I wasn't, they have everything under their wings already," she said, tilting her head to Kai, Syl and Alicia.

"We do?"

"Kai, for once go back to listening real hard and thinking a bit too much," Talious said, lifting her head back to look at the roof wearily.

"What's your hunting ground?" Eloreth asked suddenly. "This close to the city, it's slim pickings for Arnieal."

"I have to take Foe Hammer out three days for her to find anything suitable," Reuth said, leaning forward with interest.

Krasus chuckled, "I have to go out three weeks or try for dungeon fare at a less frequented dungeon, there is not much choice."

"It's… inaccessible," Talious said as she looked to the others, clearly uncertain how much she should reveal.

Kai watched the two riders sink back in disappointment. Then he glanced at Castiel playing with Fayriel and the two older dragons. She was having the time of her life, her joy almost palpable through the bond.

A quick examination of the two dragons told him that despite their size, Arnieal was just fourteen years old, while Foe Hammer was forty.

Children by Alean custom, toddlers by dragons

His mind working through an idea, he felt out the bond for what Syl and Alicia were thinking. Feeling that their thoughts were similar, he said, "Talious, this might be a dumb question. But is it good for the hatchlings if they are around other young dragons?"

"It would help them immensely. Too many dragons end up having solitary upbringings, which is why wild dragons are so grumpy. Those of us who were raised by your kind often struggle to communicate with our wilder kin, they see us as too human, too tame. When we lose our… riders, we find ourselves somewhat isolated. It's why I'm a bit of a bitch around things I see as mine."

"Nurture vs nature," Kai said, still in thought.

"It's your choice, I think it will be good for them, they need friends of their kind," Syl said as Alicia nodded along.

Gift's head bobbed up and down with his mother's as thoughts of being in charge of a pack slipped through the bond.

"Who's chambers were these again," Kai asked as he stood up and looked around the side hall they had been led into. It was such an open area… but it had to be large for Krasus' sake, looking at the open doors coming off from the main hall.

Krasus sighed, "These chambers have been long vacant, Arnieal and foe share the adjacent one."

"Who has access?"

"No one but those sworn to the association, why?"

"Does the association have an oath of secrecy?" Kai asked as he looked at the back wall of the room.

"We are family, all that ride, all that serve the association are sworn to uphold its secretes."

"Are we members yet?"

"It is just a formality."

"In the past we've asked for an oath of some kind, but if my understanding is correct… consider this a secret of the association," Kai commanded as he opened a portal to the domain with a dramatic flourish. "But be warned, this is our domain."

It wasn't hard to encourage them the domain was safe, their curiosity overwhelming any sense or instinct of caution as they led them into the domain and started a rather limited tour that consisted of, yes all this is technically in side me and Syl, look were still figuring things out, and yes it's safe.

Eloreth bounced on her heals as she looked about, Arnieal's wings twitching as he lifted his head and sniffed the air.

"Can we take flight, explore?" Reuth asked eagerly, one hand already clutching the stirrup of Foe's riding harness.

"You may hunt, it's sooner than we expected, but we have been preparing.That was after all why my husband opened this place to you," Kai said as Syl squeezed his hand.

"Come on, we will point you in the direction of a good hunting area," Gift said promptly as he jumped into the air with a flair of his wings, Castiel jumping from Kai's shoulder to join him as Fayriel broke free of Syl's chest.

They watched as five young dragons and two riders enthusiastically took flight.

As they grew distant, Kai could see Castiel and Fayriel fly rings around the Foe and Arnieal as Gift led the way. The feeling of their excitement was all the confirmation that he had made the right decision.

"The dear should do just fine, like everything else their diets bing supplemented by the rangers," Syl said as she watched them fly off?

"We have rangers?"

Syl sighed, "Kai, you're on a roll today. Yes, some of the kitsuné manage the herds and wildlife.

Thought they were shepherds.

"Some are shepherds, some are rangers or wardens. It depends on what they are managing."

"I slept on that."

"In your defence were kept pretty busy by all the ladies," Ester said, coming to Kai's aid.

He didn't know if he liked her choice of words, so why not say he was training all the time?

"What do you eat?" Krasus asked Talious.

"Dinner with them," Talious said, her answer sounding a little guarded.

"That sustains you?"

"You'll be surprised by how much of their food I eat, it is surprisingly tasty. But I do hunt the occasional orruk. but I dont know how I feel about sharing my herd."

"Is that why Lilly's constantly at odds with the food she brings in?" Alicia asked.

Syl gave her a nod.

"The herds gown so much that it split three times since we brought them in. And the young grow quicker than in the physical realm."

"I don't know why you're all looking at me," she gestured to Kai, "If anything, this is his territory, if he says Krasus may hunt here, he may hunt."

They all looked at him.

"You may hunt," Kai said with a shrug.

Krasus lifted his head high into the air as he sniffed, "There is so much choice." He then turned his attention to Mira, of all people, and asked, "Will you ask the spirits to guide my hunt? It would be an honour."

Mira stepped back when she first realised she was being addressed, but then something shifted as she listened, her ears flicking this way and that before she made a step towards Krasus. "My friends will not leave my side, but so long as you obey the law of the hunt, respect all of this domain, its winds will lift you."

"Thank you," Krasus said with a toothy grin and he looked up to the sky above.

One mighty flap of his wings carried him high into the air on a blast of wind that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Learning something new?" Syl asked Mira.

Mira nodded as she watched Krasus take flight, a smile on her lips as the wind faded to a breeze.

The moment Krasus got a decent distance, Talious spun on the group. "No one tells him about the fucking fish, got it! Getting them in the lake was worse than coaxing in the bloody orruks."

"You got fish into the lake, like real physical fish from Alea?" Kai asked.

Talious facepalmed.

Kai turned and looked back at the portal to the Association on a distant hill, "We'll leave this here for now, I guess. Weren't we going shopping?"

"Dont forget you also have an appointment." Syl said, nudging him.

"What happened to your plan? You were going to complain about the changing of the name from Free Riders Association."

"Fuck!" Talious growled.

"That's a bad word," Gift said as he reappeared at Alicia's side.

"I thought you were going to hunt with them," Kai said as he felt Castiel slip into his shirt.

"Nah, they don't need the training, if anything, they are too big for us to show them how to hunt properly."

"You couldn't keep up, could you?" Talious asked.

Gift scoffed and turned his head, "You would think they were starving."

"Just excited and eager. Besides, dragons rarely hunt together, give them time."

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