Dragons' Soul (by invitation only)

OoC: This is a battle between myself and LEA which will later evolve into a quest/fic where we will invite certain members of the BA to participate, helping us to move the story along.

BiC:A lone figure sat on the icy ridge, feeling the biting wind assault her face in vain. The cold no longer concerned her, for her mind was far from it. Wisps of her golden hair flew about her serene face as her mind floated even deeper into meditation. The blizzard raged on as the summoner’s mental wanderings carried over the white expanse and beyond.

Until it stopped. Her consciousness brushed against another familiar presence. One she had never expected to feel again. The visiting intelligence lingered just long enough to leave an indistinct plea whispering in the air… and disappeared once more.

The summoner’s eyes opened to see precisely what she expected to see. A door stood stoically before her in the storm, independent of any sort of structure. The woman’s clear, blue eyes twinkled. Shall we go?

Need you ask, Samae? came the answer. The door opened, and Aurora the Ominae once again came to the Dome.

The Dome’s unending corridors coursed to the right and left, but her familiarity with the place immediately directed her toward her old quarters. Along the way, she noted faces passing by, many weary from training, for the Dome was the multiverse’s foremost training ground. Warriors from all reaches of every universe and dimension, both good and evil as the Dome did not discriminate, came here to improve upon themselves, some in more ways than one.

Some faces were familiar, but most were not. She had not seen any of her former students yet, and wondered if the Dome had finished their training and sent them all home since she had been gone. She knew a couple of them would be steered to teaching positions to fill the gap created by her absence, and considered tracking them down after she’d had a rest.

Before long, Aurora was once again surveying the place she came closer to calling home than any other. It was, of course, all exactly as she had left it. A hearty fire crackled in the fireplace, welcoming her back to the place where she had created so many memories in but a year. The gleaming hardwood floors reflected the firelight onto the cool stone walls and she couldn’t help but leave her shoes at the door, so she could sink her bare toes into the warm, lush rug before the fire. Then, she surveyed the kitchen briefly before going to her bedroom, reveling in the soft, cushy mountains of quilts and pillows covering the four-poster bed, and a long, luxurious bath soon ensued in the gigantic, claw-footed bathtub.

She emerged from the bathroom to find, as always, a fresh change of clothes laid out waiting for her. The Domerii are still working as diligently and as unobtrusively as ever, I see.

I agree, came Valron’s answer from the living room, I am very curious to find the reason for our return. Not that I am unhappy to be in this most comfortable place again, but…

The Dome does nothing without a reason. I know.

After scrounging a bite from the kitchen, Aurora found herself, once again, out in the ever twisting halls of the Dome. The Dome’s massive, ever-present consciousness surrounded her like the embrace of an old friend. The place was indeed so rich with magic that it had, over the ages, developed its own sort of intelligence. It was a life form unlike any other, a living pocket dimension, with a link to all other realms of existence. It plodded purposefully through the cosmoses, both everywhere and nowhere at once, about its task. It always seemed to know how to best complete its duty of training the multiverse’s best warriors and magicians. Aurora had grown used to its guidance and strange ways in her time instructing between its walls, at times expressing her frustration at its inexorable sense of duty, (She’d lost account of the amount of sleep she’d lost because of the Dome’s insistence on having her meet and take on new students almost constantly.) and at others laughing at its strange sense of humor.

Oddly, the Dome was not leading her in any particular direction now, it simply seemed pleased to have her there again. I can’t believe it only wanted me back for a visit.

I have difficulty believing this as well, Samae, however, we have little choice but to wait until our host decides to make its wishes known to us.

Of course… what was that? She felt a familiar power brush against her mind for the briefest moment, too faint to recognize, but its feel made all the hair on her body stand on end. As soon as she reached out to grasp it, the presence disappeared, retreating beyond her reach. She shook her head, trying to place the feel of the power, and why it made her so uneasy, but to no avail. Finally, she logged the odd occurrence under “just another day in the Dome” and turned a corner only to run into a familiar face.

“Sileya, you’re back, too?”

OoC: Ha! Finally got this written! Wooo! *posts*

The sea breeze drifted lazily across the semi-rocky shoreline, carrying the scent and flavor of salt. Seagulls wheeled against the perfectly blue sky. Not a cloud was in sight; the sun shone brightly, bathing the nearly unoccupied beach in its radiance. One lone figure sat in a relaxed position in the middle of the sands, her silver, blue-streaked hair dancing in the wind around her. At her side rested a magnificent weapon unlike any other on this earth. It was an exquisite broadsword, the blade of silver tattooed with the ancient dragonscript, the Dragonrunes. Twin sapphire-eyed dragons wound around the hilt, their tails encircling the shining ruby set as the weapon’s pommel stone. It was an amazing piece of craftsmanship, and the Elf who sat comfortably next to it was capable of wielding it with deadly efficiency.

Sighing to herself, the Elven warrior-summoner, Sileya, let herself fall backward onto the sands, letting the warmth spread through her body. It had been forever since she could just relax and not worry about defending herself while fighting in someone else’s war just so she could have a roof over her head and food in her stomach. She had chosen the life of the wanderer, despite her knowledge of its hardships. It was the life she was most familiar with, and so, she thought, that was the life she was to be accustomed to living.

Her thoughts, however, were suddenly led to memories of her short time in another walk of life—teaching. There had been students…not many…but enough for her to form somewhat of a liking for them. There had been one in particular that she’d formed somewhat of a closer bond with. She took a moment to wonder where he was now and what he was doing but then decided that it would be best not to dwell on things of the past. Her experiences in the Dome had been informative and eye-opening, but she had soon discovered that teaching was not the life for her. Even if she hadn’t had to bloody her sword for the roof and the food…

She suddenly felt a strange sensation brush her consciousness, and her eyes narrowed, focusing on it. That feeling…she hadn’t expected to ever feel that again. When she sat up, not slow enough to avoid a slight spell of dizziness, there was a door standing all alone on the shore. The Elf’s eyes widened slightly.

But…why would it be calling me back…?

One of the Ancient Dragons, the Water Dragon Areina, brushed at her consciousness. Small One, perhaps it is calling you because there is some great need at hand. You should just let go and trust that it knows what it is doing.

Not needing to be told twice, the favored of the Ancient Dragons stepped forward and through the inviting door. She left the beach and stopped in a page out of the past. It was the Dome, no doubt of that. Everything appeared almost exactly as it had when she’d left. Students, none of whom she recognized, bustled hurriedly along the corridors. For another brief moment, her thoughts wandered back to that one student…

Shaking herself out of her reverie, the former teacher began walking, letting the Dome itself guide her feet to wherever it wanted her to go. She smiled when she finally halted in front of a familiar door of simple construct, carved with the likenesses of the Ancient Dragons. Putting a hand to the silver door handle, Sileya once again entered the room she had been given upon her acceptance of the teaching job.

The room was just as she had left it, down to the smallest detail. The windows were still slightly ajar, the way she liked them, and the silvery gossamer curtains stirred faintly in the breeze. Her four-poster bed, also carved with the images of the Dragons, still stood in its corner of the room, the crimson curtains drawn back. Tempted to take a nap, Sileya resisted by instead entering the bathroom where she relished a lavender-scented bubble bath. It felt as though it had been forever since she had been able to take a good, long soak in a tub, especially in such a lavish one as this. The calming, cleansing waters washed all the fatigue and worries away that she had built up over the past several months.

Upon exiting the bathroom, Sileya found fresh clothes laid out on the bed for her, and she caught sight of Domerii scurrying to get out of her room. Shaking her head, the Elf smiled. The Domerii had never been too fond of her or her room. It was probably the fact that dragons were their natural predators. Slipping into the clean, comfortable clothing, Sileya went to her dresser and opened the small jewelry box located on top of it. She smiled again. The silver necklace bearing a charm in the image of the Light Dragon, Lithiuan, still remained safely inside the box. Sileya withdrew the necklace and several thin silver bracelets traced in gold and placed them around her neck and wrists respectively. Strapping on her broadsword, for she still did not know why she had been summoned back to the Dome, Sileya exited her room and began wandering the corridors that she had called home for a short while.

All the students she passed were faces she didn’t recognize, nor had she remembered hearing about them during her stay at the Dome. But that didn’t concern her so much, for the Dome was the largest training facility of its kind. In fact, it was one-of-a-kind. Nothing else like it existed.

Why, though, did it call me back…?

The Elf turned a corner, lost in her musings, and almost failed to see the person coming from the opposite direction until she spoke.

“Sileya, you’re back, too?”

Sileya’s emerald eyes locked on the blue eyes of the speaker and soon sparkled in recognition. “Aurora? That is you, isn’t it?” She had never had much contact with the other teacher, while she had been here, but she had occasionally seen her in the halls on some errand. What she had heard of the summoner was nothing short of exceptional and wonderful.

Wait…she said, “You’re back, TOO.”

“Aurora…did you leave the Dome, as well? If that is true, that means it has called you back here, too. If you have any clue as to why, then please tell me.”

“Aurora…did you leave the Dome, as well? If that is true, that means it has called you back here, too. If you have any clue as to why, then please tell me.”

The blond human's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Not too long after you left, I was called back to my own home." The two began to stroll down the hall together as the summoner related the circumstances of her return. "I was meditating in the mountains, and out of nowhere, the Dome asks me back."

"It asked you?"

"Yes. That was the strange part about it. Usually the Dome doesn't exactly request that you do anything. It sort of makes sure your only option is to comply." She made a sort of vague guesture toward the ceiling. "Our host is rather funny about that." Then, she smiled. "Yes, I know you heard that," she said quietly, seemingly to no one.

"Wait, you actually talk to the Dome?"

"In a way... it's more that it transmits vague sort of thoughts and ideas to me. I just got used to it while I was teaching." The Ominae shrugged. "I think that's part of the reason I became such a popular teacher here. I gave up on arguing with the Dome, and I came to understand its moods fairly well."

"So do you know why we've been called back?" the elf asked.

Aurora shook her head. "I can't say I do. I'm guessing we'll have to wait and see."

Sileya's expression had I hate waiting. written all over it. "Why don't we find something to kill some time."

"Sure, I'm game... I take it you have something particular in mind?"

"I've heard that you're good. I'd like the chance to cross swords with you."

Aurora laughed. "I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but sure. I think I've got just the room."

The two went on talking as they walked, and soon the human and the elf were chatting like old friends. "I wish we'd had the chance to do this before," Aurora finally commented, as they came to a stop before a stone door.

It was not so much a stone, as a large boulder blocking part of the wall. At a wave of the summoner's hand, and the briefest brush of magic, the boulder rolled to one side, and the two women entered one of the Dome's many rooms.

They stood in a small valley, perhaps a half mile across, high in a mountain range. The snowline was perhaps a mile higher, and the few wispy clouds overhead seemed near enough to touch. The sun shone brightly, giving a warmth to the stony, uneven ground beneath their feet, which Aurora made note of. A few hardy varieties of wildflower peeked up though crannies in the rock, leaving faint sprays of yellow and purple against occasional tufts of grayish green, and they could hear the distinctive crash of sparring mountain goats echoing in the distance. Their breath looked like puffs of smoke against the thin mountain air.

The door disappeared from behind them, and Aurora glanced at the elven warrior. "Whenever you're ready, my friend."

OoC: Yay for shortness!

IC:

Once Sileya had finished surveying the surroundings, getting a feel for the terrain, she turned to meet Aurora's glance. Grinning with anticipation, the Elf unsheathed Drageziel from her back, unfastening the weapon's casing from her back and placing it conveniently out of the range of potential interference. As she readied herself, Sileya noticed that Aurora had no weapon.

"Aurora...you don't have anything to defend yourself with."

The human summoner smiled knowingly, that twinkle reappearing in her eyes. "The only weapons I need are my own body and my magic."

The Elf's grin faded somewhat. "Oh...then perhaps I should refrain from using my broadsword against you..."

Aurora shook her head, smiling. "There is no need. If your fighting style is dependent upon the use of your weapon, do not feel you must cast it aside in order to avoid causing me any potentially mortal injury."

Sileya still appeared reluctant to bring her blade to bear against one who had nothing to effectively block it. She stared down at Drageziel's gleaming, deadly edge, and it was then that Lithiuan seemed to stroke an ethereal claw against Sileya's consciousness.

If you wish to avoid doing the woman serious harm, then you should focus that desire into in the sword itself.

Blinking a few times in surprise, Sileya followed the Light Dragon's suggestion and channeled her unwillingness to seriously injure Aurora into the blade of Drageziel. In response, the Dragonrunes tattooing the silvery blade glowed with a gentle light, and the edges of the sword glowed with that same radiance. Once the light had dissipated, Sileya put a tentative hand to the edge to see if she could pick up on any noticable differences. To her delight, the blade was dull. At worst, getting hit with it would leave a massive bruise. Smiling, the warrior-summoner faced Aurora again with confidence.

Before Aurora had even finished smiling back, Sileya had kicked off the ground and launched herself dead-on at the human, Drageziel's tip trailing behind her but ready to be brought to bear at a moment's notice. Aurora's reflexes were tremendous, and she easily leaped to the side of Sileya's head-on charge, bringing one of her fists swinging around to glance a blow off the passing Elf. Sileya, however, had somehow anticipated the move and managed to turn herself 90 degrees, and Aurora's fist collided with the cold metal of the flat of Drageziel's blade. The two jumped backwards from each other, neither showing the least bit of fatigue.

Sileya grinned and brought her broadsword up in a defensive position. "Well, I think I'm about ready to start warming up. How about you?"

Aurora smiled. "Sounds good."

The summoner's mind settled into the game, sizing up her opponent as she circled slowly, looking like nothing so much as a wolf, or another predator. The elf's willowy frame, and the sword, gave her a distinct advantage in reach against the human's own, more compact shape. Just an advantage I'll have to negate.

She'd heard that the elven warrior had the ability to summon dragons of different elements to her aid. She doubted the elf could match her in speed and strength, since she lacked a connection with her familiars that would allow her to channel strength directly from them. She'd gained that much from feeling a dragon's presence brush the elf's mind a moment before. She hadn't eavesdropped, but guessed that the summon offered advice on how to dull the edge of the sword. Not that it was needed.

Aurora loosed her robes as she circled, revealing a deep blue tunic and deerskin trousers with sturdy, calf-high boots. She rotated her wrists, stretching them lazily, not necessarily evaluating now, but biding her time.

"Are you going to do that all day?"

Aurora smirked, raising an eyebrow. "You have other pressing plans?" Sileya was still young for an elf and Aurora counted that in her own favor as well.

Then, Sileya charged again. Aurora dodged the charge once again, knowing the elf would anticipate this action, following her. Soon, the summoner was leading the elf on a merry and deadly sort of dance across the valley.

The blond woman smiled as she saw the young one's frustration growing. Then, she laughed aloud.

"What're you laughing at?" Sileya growled.

"You!" Aurora exclaimed good-naturedly, ducking under a back-handed slash. "I've rarely seen a willow try so hard to fight as though she were an oak or a rock."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're so busy trying to impose your will upon the action, that you don't even realize I've been playing you like a flute. I mean, the flow of the fight could change very abruptly..." At this moment, Sileya made a thrust toward Aurora's middle, and instead of moving backward as she had countless times before, she bent slightly to one side, allowing the broadsword to pass between her arm and flank. Then, she quickly clamped her arm down over the elf's, and before she could react, Sileya was eye to eye with the summoner, with her arms effectively trapped. "... and you wouldn't know until it was too late." Aurora took a moment to flick a finger against the warrior's smooth brow saying, "Don't work so hard," before dancing backward and out of reach from an infuriated backswing.

The summoner smiled as she felt an amused presence touch the warrior's mind. She was enjoying this immensely, but she knew she ought not to play with her friend anymore. "Sorry, if I offended you with my commentary, teaching is in my nature, you see."

Aurora rolled the sleeves of her tunic to her elbows. "Nice bracelet." Sileya remarked as Valron's form came into view, coiled around the summoner's wrist. And, she charged one more time, but now, to her surprise, Aurora met her charge head on, and sparks flew as Drageziel crashed into the bracelet.

"Nice sword," Aurora answered.

Sileya ground her teeth, slight irritation radiating from her person. Seeing that Aurora had effectively blocked her strike with the sinuous form of her dragon, Sileya put space between them with a few backward steps. She lowered Drageziel to her side in such a position that was both relaxed and yet ready all at once. The words of summoner echoed inside her head, fueling her increasing frustration.

So, she thinks my fighting style inadequate, does she? Hm… “I've rarely seen a willow try so hard to fight as though she were an oak or a rock.” A willow, eh? She may have something there…

Taking a few slow, concentrated breaths, the Elf released her tension, loosening her muscles and emptying her mind of all its jumbled, buzzing thoughts. There was only one thing she retained besides the consciousnesses of the Ancient Dragons—her determination to show Aurora she was not just some hot-tempered, arrogant Elf unable to defend herself. She shifted her weight forward, making sure that Aurora sensed her change in balance, before launching herself yet again at the summoner. Three-quarters of the way there, however, she shifted direction, leaping to the side of Aurora and swiping her lengthy blade in her direction. Once again, the summoner’s reflexes were superb; Aurora smoothly knocked Drageziel’s blade away from herself.

Sileya regained steady footing, facing the summoner with a smile on her face. True, her attack had been rather pointless, but the more she observed the woman’s style, the more she understood it. Thinking quickly, Sileya got an idea. She needed to do something Aurora would not expect, something that might catch her off-guard.

Gripping Drageziel’s hilt firmly, Sileya again launched herself straight at Aurora. The summoner sighed the second she sensed Sileya’s stance change.

“Haven’t we played this game enough?”

To her surprise, Sileya kicked off the ground within feet of Aurora, sailing over her head. Calling the fire element to her aid, Sileya grinned as flames erupted from the Dragonrunes, engulfing the blade in white-hot fire. Turning swiftly around, the Elf slashed her blade through the air, releasing a wave of flame in Aurora’s direction. She landed with cat-like grace and turned to see what had become of the summoner.

OoC: *covers face in shame at the shortness*

Aurora felt the flicker of power before seeing the wave of flames approach. With a wave of her hand, the flames shifted as they came near her body, swirling around her form instead of colliding with her. "Not bad. You bring your magic to the surface pretty quickly for it being a secondary style... Must be the elf blood." With that, the flames coalesced into a ball before the summoner and shot back at the elf.

Sileya batted the fireball away, slamming it into a rocky ledge which drooped slightly from the heat.

"Dragonfire no less... that IS impressive. But, I'll hazard a guess that your magic is dependent entirely on your connection with your familiars."

The elf's brow crinkled slightly in thought.

"Oh my word, please tell me this isn't a surprise to you, Sileya."

"I..."

"Please tell me you're joking, and you aren't using magic when you don't even know how it works."

The youthful warrior spread her hands in the universal gesture for, Yeah, you're right, but I'm a tad embarrassed about admitting it. "I learned it all myself, and there was never anyone to teach me."

Aurora nodded sagely. "I suppose that would explain it."

Shifting her feet embarrassedly, Sileya gazed across at the human summoner. The realization that she did not indeed fully know how or why her magic worked hit her like a ton of bricks, and she suddenly felt like an inexperienced child again. The human summoner's eyes still showed faint, almost undetectable, traces of that initial shock that Sileya had clearly felt upon her admittance of her incomplete knowledge. The Elf's ears drooped, her entire countenance suddenly looking very crestfallen.

"I...I've just never given that much thought to how my magic works. I guess I just always took it for granted, seeing as I never really found anyone who could possibly explain it all to me. The Dragons themselves are usually reluctant to tell me anything at all about themselves or my magic. I suppose they'd prefer it if I figured it out on my own, without the aid of their vast knowledge."

Aurora nodded again, apparently lost in thought. "I see."

Sileya appeared to struggle inwardly for a moment as she worked up the courage to make a request of her friend. Suddenly, it burst out of her in a rush.

"Aurora! Do you think you could help me figure at least a portion of my abilites out? You're a summoner and of a dragon, no less. Surely you know something that could make me stronger!"

OoC: Yes, I'm double-posting. *gasp* The nerve of...me... Well, I'm sure everyone will get over it, seeing as this post is technically for Ry-san. She asked me to make this post for her, and how can I refuse to oblige my internet big sister. ^_^

IC:

Sileya stared across at the human summoner, still amazed that all those words had flown from her lips. She had never been one to ask someone else for help. For most of her long life, the Elf had always just done things for herself, never expecting anyone else to assist her. For the first time in a rather lengthy period of time, Sileya found herself requesting aid for her shortcomings. Anxiously, the Elven warrior-summoner continued eyeing Aurora. The blue-eyed summoner seemed to be in deep consideration, and after several agonizingly slow moments, Sileya tried to prompt an answer.

"Well, Aurora?"

The words shook Aurora out of her thoughts and turned her gaze to meet Sileya's. Smiling, the human extended her hand out to the Elf.

"Why, of course. I'd be more than happy to help you. But not here. Why don't we go to my quarters. It's more comfortable there, and we can sit down for a while and talk through some things."

Sileya exhaled a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Relief washed over her as she returned her friend's smile.

"Thanks, Aurora. Let's go, shall we?"

Side by side, the pair of summoners headed for the door of the mountain room, chatting amiably between themselves. Upon reaching the door, Aurora held out her hand to open the door with her magic. To both the women's surprise, the door didn't budge. They looked at each other, puzzled.

"Why won't it open, I wonder?" Aurora mused.

"If magic won't work, why don't we try physically opening it?"

Aurora shook her head. "No. If the door won't open by my magic, then it won't open at all. Either the Dome still wants us here for some reason, or..."

Sileya finished the sentence. "Something else still wants us here." She fluidly drew Drageziel again, her emerald eyes darting everywhere around the room in search of anything that might display hostility.

Sighing, Aurora continued staring at the locked door. "We're trapped in here...and we don't even know why..."

Aurora placed a hand on the stone mountainside that should have opened for them into the vastness of the Dome. "Why isn't the door here? This makes no sense." She pushed and prodded where the door should have been, to no avail. "It's not just that the door is locked,... it isn't here. I can still sense the Dome, but there's no conduit between it and here."

Sileya's eyes widened slightly, and she gripped the pommel of her sword just a little tighter. "Then, how do we get out?"

The summoner shrugged. She reached out to the Dome with her mind, willing it to understand their predicament. "It's no good, " she said, shaking her head sadly, "it keeps saying that the door is open."

"Obviously not."

"Then, somehow we have to find our own way out. The Ominae reached out again, through the barrier, reaching now for something, soemone, familiar. "Have you seen anyone you know in the Dome yet?"

"No, none of my students. A few teachers, but no one I've spoken much with."

"Nor I," the summoner shook her head, "I hope some of my former students are still around." Her search continued, brushing past vast numbers of minds, both students and teachers. "I need someone I have a connection with, or I won't be able to speak to them."

"Telepathy?"

Aurora nodded, "Close enough." Her eyes began to glow as her search became more determined.

Minutes passed. "Any luck?"

Aurora shook her head. "If I was looking for someone in particular, it would be easier, but it could take days to filter through all the people in the Dome just looking for something familiar, and not knowing who is still here."

The elf looked thoughtful. "I think I heard someone mention a lesson with Tokumaru Kyo. Wasn't he one of your students?"

Aurora smiled brightly at the mention of the samurai. "Yes!" The woman renewed her search and soon came upon... Tokumaru-kun...

The familiar mind stiffened at the intrusion.

Tokumaru-kun, I need your help.

Aurora-dono, can it be you?

Yes, the Dome has called me back.

What do you wish of me, dono?

Aurora could almost picture the samurai kneeling before her, exuding the sense of reverence he always held for her. His old-fashioned loyalty always made her smile, as she did now, while she filled him in on the situation.

Tell me what to do, dono.

Come to this room and see if there's a way to open it from the outside. She gave him directions as he hurried to their aid. "Tokumaru is on his way to see if he can open the door from that side." So, the two women settled on the ground to wait.

"Well, as long as we aren't going anywhere, we might as well start on you, Sileya."

The elf's ears perked slightly. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, it may seem silly, but I need you to converse with your dragons, all of them, together or in turn, it's your choice, so I can observe the connection you have with each of them. I won't be eavesdropping, so feel free to say what you like."

"Converse with all my Dragons? Okay, I can do that."

Inhaling a deep breath, the silver-blue-haired Elf closed her eyes in concentration, melding her entire consciousness with the Ancient Dragons. One by one, she felt their presences caress her mind, and she finally settled on the Wind Dragon, Zelpher.

Hello, Zelpher.

Greetings, Small One. I trust you are doing well? The winds are in your favor?

As well as can be expected. I'm receiving some help from a friend of mine.

Oh, really? What sort of help, might I ask?

I'm trying to come to a better understanding of where my power comes from and of my bond with you and the others.

I see... Well, I wish you good fortune with that.

Thanks. Now, I have to speak with the others.

May the winds always be at your back, Small One.

Sileya relinquished her contact with the Wind Dragon and searched for another Dragon. This time, she found Pyria waiting for her.

Small One! Why didn't you talk to me first? I feel hurt...

What can only be described as a deep, bass sniffing noise rumbled inside Sileya's head. The Elf smiled to herself and shook her head. Pyria was naturally a little less formal than most of the others.

I'm sorry, Pyria. I just chose one of you at random to start with.

Well, you should have known that I wanted to speak with you the most! Not like that boring Zelpher. He's no fun at all. Always talking about the effects of the wind and the fortunes of the wind and whatnot. BORING. I'd rather talk about fire! And burn things! And I wanna play. Can I come out and play, Sileya?

Sileya couldn't help but laugh out loud at Pyria's ADD-like nature. Aurora raised an eyebrow.

No, you can't come out and play at this moment, Pyria. Sorry.

Darnit! Fine. I'm leaving, then.

The Fire Dragon's touch on her mind faded as swiftly as it had pounced on her, and she was soon met by Roanok, the Earth Dragon. Roanok wasn't exactly the most talkative and social of the Dragons, and it showed in the conversation.

Small One.

Roanok. How have you been faring?

The same as usual.

Good to hear.

...Well, I'll be going, then.

Roanok's presence plodded steadily away to be replaced by yet another of the Dragons. Areina, the Dragon of Water.

Hello, there, Small One.

Hello, Areina.

Zelpher told me about you getting aid in analyzing your power. Is there anything I, specifically, can do to help?

Well, you're doing what I need you to be doing right now, and that's just talking to me. Unless, of course...you'd like to tell me yourself about my abilities and my connection with you and the others?

Areina was silent for a moment, and Sileya began to hope that perhaps she would at last get some sort of answer. However, the Water Dragon quickly doused those hopes as soon as they kindled.

That is something you must discover on your own.

Areina slipped silently away from the Elf's mind as graceful as ever. Suddenly, Sileya felt her mind tackled by none other than the Thunder Dragon, Taiken.

SMALL ONE!!!! What's going on?! Is there something the matter?! Do you need me to help you?!

Sileya laughed again. Taiken and Pyria were very similar in their personalities, as were Areina and Zelpher. On the outside, Aurora was curious as to just what was occuring inside the the Elf's consciousness.

No, Taiken. Nothing is the matter, and all I needed from you for the moment was for you to talk to me. You've done that rather well, thank you.

Taiken sounded disappointed. Oh...darn... I was looking forward to stretching my physical wings... Well, if there's nothing else you need, I guess I'll go back to teasing Roanok. That guy needs to loosen up, you know?

Like a flash of lightning, Taiken detached from her brain. The next Dragon to embrace her mind and spirit was the Ice Dragon, Shilera.

Small One, how have you been feeling?

I'm alright, Shilera.

Are you certain? You seemed exasperated earlier...

Oh, that was no big deal. I'm fine now.

...Are you really certain? If there is something you need, do not hesitate to ask me. I don't want your fragile body to fall into a negative state of some kind.

The Elf chuckled. Shilera's motherly nature was definitely showing through today. Fragile body? Well...compared to you and the others, I must be. But really, I'm perfectly fine.

Alright, Small One, if you say so. I shall be taking my leave.

As Shilera faded, the presence of Slezyn, the Dragon of Shadow, slunk upon her mind and wrapped itself around it.

I hear you're trying to get stronger, Small One. It's about time you started thinking more about power.

This is not about me getting stronger, Slezyn. It's about figuring out exactly how the power I currently possess works.

Oh, certainly. You keep telling yourself that. It'll do your naive, righteous heart some good.

The Shadow Dragon's oily laugh filled her head.

That IS what it's all about. Don't you doubt that.

Right, right. I'm not going to argue. Just remember, if you ever need real power, I'm here for you. And despite the things I might say, I do care about and respect you. I just don't let it show as glaringly as some of the others do. Pyria and Taiken are especially annoying with their antics...

Thank you, Slezyn. It's comforting to hear you say that.

I'll be leaving you for now, Small One. May the blood of your enemies always be plentiful beneath your feet.

Slezyn's consciousness slithered away, and finally, the Light Dragon, Lithiuan, bathed Sileya's mind in her warm and soothing presence.

It appears that all the others have had their turns. I wanted to be the last.

Lithiuan, my friend, is everything going well for you?

Yes, Small One. Everything is well. I trust the same holds true for you?

It does, indeed. I think I'm on the verge of discovering some things about myself and all of you.

That is good news to my ancient ears. I hope you find the answers you seek very soon.

Lithiuan...if you and the others wish so much for me to find these things out, then why don't you all just tell me yourselves?

I think you know the answer to that. At any rate, yes, find out soon. I want to know you better, Small One.

Know me better? What are you...? But Lithiuan's presence had slipped away from her before she could get her question out.

Exhaling a sigh, Sileya opened her eyes to gaze across at Aurora. "Well, I'm finished."