Allen kept his promise. He came back inside when the sun was just starting to creep over the horizon and Lavi picked up a book to read with the light he finally got. The train ride took just about 30 more minutes until they could finally get out.

The village they had arrived in didn't look like much. Basically there was one small central square with a fountain in the middle of it and about three to a maximum of five streets in a radius away from it. Nevertheless they found an inn that was open at that early hour and would serve them breakfast.

Allen's order was endless. As he rattled down a list of meals he wanted to eat, Lavi could see sweat appear on the poor innkeepers face. The first drops had already slit down to his collar when the boy was finally ready and smiled a little bit awkwardly.

"Allen, are you meeting people here or something?" Lavi asked in a hushed voice as the stressed out man disappeared towards the kitchen to fulfill his huge order.

However his partner's eyes widened with surprise. "No, why?"

"You'll never be able to eat that much!"

"Oh, that," Allen laughed lightly in embarrassment, "I'll be fine. I tend to eat much because I need to actually fuel a dragon's body."

That sounded quite logical but still. He couldn't believe it would be that big. After all, he was still a beansprout and the wings hadn't looked like all that much either. If those had to lift an entire dragon in the air, there couldn't be much reptile to take off the ground. "You didn't eat that much for dinner yesterday."

This time Allen laughed in actual amusement. "That's because I got an entire wyvern for lunch. I'm not bottomless, you know."

He just had to be joking.

Their first meal was served. The innkeeper promised Allen there would be more, but he needed more time. The boy didn't seem to mind and attacked his available food with glee instead.

However, seeing the excitement with which his partner seemed to swallow down his food without even chewing properly, Lavi suddenly didn't think the idea of the wyvern disappearing that way entirely impossible anymore either.


They separated when village life was starting to revive after the night. As Allen would go around to search for akuma and signs for his own mission, Lavi sought out the local bookstore. The little shop wasn't much, but just as his sources had told him, he did find what he needed. He pushed the book against his chest as he opened the door and stepped out of the store. One found, eight left. It wasn't bad to get one in the first place they visited. If he would go on like this he'd be back at The Order in two weeks.

It wasn't unusual for him to get blinded the moment he would step outside after spending a long time between bookshelves. However, what was, was to step onto a square dominated by chaos of running and screaming people. He stopped in his tracks and looked around, trying to find the source of the sudden panic.

As if the universe had decided to help him, it fell down right in front of his nose, impossible to miss. Two monsters almost crushed him as they crashed into the pavement, barely missing the fountain.

A giant white dragon pinned an opponent to the ground, baring its fangs aggressively. The wyvern under it looked almost small against the grotesque white body that covered it. It struggled to get free, or at least take a bite out of its attacker, by wriggling its slippery serpent body, but the dragon's grip was merciless. The white beast moved quicker than seemed possible for its size. Its jaws closed around its victim's neck and crushed all necessary structures inside of it.

With a last desperate scream turning into a gurgle, the wyvern went limp. Its head dropped on the ground with a loud thud.

The dragon eyed its opponent one more time, then shook itself, sending droplets of blood all over the square.

That thing was Allen, right? Lavi stared at the colossal beast in front of him. But it couldn't be. This creature was huge, much larger than the short stature of his partner could ever have made him expect. The elegant Asian dragon was as beautiful as it was dangerous. Its scales glittered like the stars they came from. The long and slim horns followed the horizontal line of the body, making one elegant, horizontal curl in the middle. Two whiskers sprouted from the reptile's face, ignoring all laws of gravity by dancing through the air freely.

But despite the majestic appearance, Lavi couldn't help but swallow as he eyed the blood stains on the long reptile claws and sharp fangs.

He resisted the urge to step back when silver, predator eyes found him at the edge of the square.

"Beansprout, is that you?" He reached for his hammer as he said it, realizing desperately that it was just a puny useless weapon in front of a dragon. And here he'd been the one making fun of Allen for fighting bare handed.

The beast raised its lip in a dangerous snarl, but it was Allen's voice he heard. "Who are you calling beansprout, little ant?"

Lavi relaxed. The dragon hadn't actually spoken, but he'd heard it clearly in his head, sent over telepathically.

As he took a moment to try to see the reptile with different eyes, the body started to shrink. Wings folded in on themselves, claws dulled, scales vanished and finally a familiar pale boy remained standing on the square, next to a dead wyvern that seemed to double in size now that its opponent was just a small human.

"The name's Allen," the boy insisted sternly as he stepped over a splatter of reptile blood like it was nothing. "Remember it next time."


Finding a phone to call Komui was just as hard as finding someone who would talk to them after what happened on the square. It probably didn't help much that Allen was still splattered with blood, because they hadn't been able to find a place to bathe yet either.

Usually a phone call to The Order wouldn't really be needed, because Allen would eat the wyvern and clean up that way, or so Allen claimed himself. But apparently this one wasn't any good. When he asked his partner why, the boy claimed it tasted too poisonous. Lavi couldn't possibly argue with that.

However, because of their need to call their chief and get Allen cleaned up, they happened to have an extra inconvenience: the train they had planned to take to the next city was already gone when they finally got there. And the next one wouldn't come for another two days.

Lavi sighed in defeat and sunk down on a bench at the tiny station. "I can't believe we missed it."

Allen seemed a lot less disappointed and stared upwards with a thoughtful expression instead. "Yeah, it is kind of inconvenient. But the train isn't the only way to reach our destination. So it doesn't mean we're stuck."

"I hope you don't expect me to walk all that way. We'd take even longer than if we wait those extra few days here."

"I wasn't really thinking of that." Allen stepped in front of his partner and met his gaze with shining silver eyes. "We could also fly, you know."

Now he had caught Lavi's interest. "Can you carry someone else then?"

Allen laughed. "Easily. A little guy like you weights nothing to a dragon."

That had to be payback for calling him a bean sprout.

"Alright, so where do we take off?" He wasn't exactly excited though. As much as the dragon intrigued him, he hadn't forgotten the scene a few hours earlier yet. The image of the dying wyvern fighting for its life was still fresh in his mind. He wasn't sure he really wanted to get close to that beast again.

However, Allen didn't seem to be aware of any of it. "If we cross the train tracks, we can move into that grassland. I should have more than enough space there."

With a tired sigh Lavi heaved himself back up on his legs and followed his companion. There went his hope of catching a little extra sleep in a train carriage.

It wasn't much of a walk. With how small the village was, the station already was on its outskirts, so they didn't need to go very far from it to not scare any innocent inhabitants.

In the middle of the grassland Allen told Lavi to wait, took a fair amount of distance and then transformed back into the giant reptile from before. The huge, white dragon wasn't much less intimidating this time.

Allen stretched his long and slender body under the sun, splaying all his toes in the green strands under them and flapping his wings lazily. It was almost like he was relieved to finally shed off his human form.

"So, are you ready to get on?"

Two silver, predator eyes locked on him, burying all of Lavi's courage in the ground.

"Are you sure we can't just wait for the next train to arrive?" He made sure it sounded like he was teasing, but he was certain Allen saw straight through him.

The dragon growled softly, a deep rumbling sound that vibrated through the earth under Lavi's feet. "Just climb onto my neck. You can use my horns to hold on."

Sighing in defeat, the redhead finally made his way over to the reptile, carefully dodging the long whiskers that danced through the air. As the dragon put its head down, Lavi climbed up hesitantly, taking place between the long, horizontal horns flanking him. They were even longer than they had seemed from a distance. The curves they made halfway were still far behind him. He hoped Allen would keep into account he was holding on to them, because now he could send his passenger flying with a simple turn of his giant head.

"Here we go," Allen warned before colossal white wings unfolded themselves next to them. "Hold on tight."

The two limps were forced down so viciously that a tiny hurricane ravaged through the grass. With a jolt Lavi almost smacked on Allen's head as his body rose. Though seemingly impossible, the entire dragon managed to lift itself off the ground and took to the sky together with its passenger.

Lavi stared at the ground disappearing from under them at much higher speed than he could have imagined. He clenched his hands around the horns unwillingly. He liked learning and experiencing new things, but flying so high all of a sudden might be a little too much.

"How do you like the view?" Allen leveled himself and then turned until the sun was shining on their backs so they would go in the right direction.

"Amazing." It wasn't too hard to hide his slight fears behind that statement. "I don't think I've ever been able to see so far." He craned his neck, but the town they were going to wasn't visible just yet. "The trees are so small they seem to fit in my hand."

The dragon hummed under him, sending deep vibrations through Lavi's legs. "I figured you'd like it."

With their speed now constant, holding on was a lot less hard. He felt himself relax and take in the view. His eye wandered over the landscape, then over the white body, glistering in the sun. The wings were spread out most of the time, sailing on the wind. They were much larger than the time Allen had taken flight from the train roof. Their membranes bulged up from the air under them, but as thin and fragile they looked, their hard work showed their true power.

"I know your wings are really strong, but it's still amazing they get such a heavy creature into the air."

As to underline the compliment Allen flapped them one more time, raising himself higher into the sky. "I don't even need them to fly though. They just help me to go faster and more elegantly."

"You're kidding right?"

Allen turned his head a slight bit, forcing Lavi into adapting his balance as his supporting points moved. However, the dragon seemed to realize his mistake and turned it back before his companion would fall off. Looking each other in the eye would just be impossible right now. "Do you want to see it? I can just fold them in right now."

"Please don't!" He couldn't help but tighten his grip on the hard structures next to him.

The dragon rumbled in irregular bursts, until Lavi realized Allen was laughing.

"Gravity is for puny moral like you," the dragon mused with a teasing tone. "Stars like me have nothing to do with it. That's how I'll return home when I've finally accomplished my mission."

The reptile made a light swirl in the air to underline his statement, taking away the last of Lavi's relaxation.

"Oh, come one, Al. Everyone knows gravity is something you can't just turn off." He didn't know why he was still saying this after the warning he had gotten earlier. And he really shouldn't have.

Because at that moment his companion decided to do just as he'd said and folded in his wings.

As he felt the muscles under him shift and their speed fall back, Lavi pushed himself closer to the white scales in fear. This was the moment they would go into a free fall.

He'd felt it before, but never from this height. Suddenly he wondered if he'd ever even be able to tell the old man about it, or if Allen might forget his passenger might not be able to hold on during such forces.

However, it didn't happen. Though they were definitely moving more than before, the familiar feeling of a floating stomach stayed away. He opened his eyes and realized they were still on the same height. Allen's wings were still folded in tightly, but his long serpent body was curling gently through the air. Almost like he was swimming downstream.

"You've got to be kidding me." He stared at the strange phenomenon a little longer, then shook his head. "Seems like Komui and the old man were right. You are very interesting."

Allen chuckled in soft, rumbling breaths. "Maybe you should start believing people when they tell you something."

Lavi grinned, even though he knew the dragon wouldn't be able to see it. "Yeah, maybe I should, huh?"

There wasn't an answer. Suddenly all muscles under the white scales cramped. Allen let out a soft groan as his wings unfolded and started flapping uncontrollably. Despite it, they started losing altitude.

"Allen, is something wrong?"

The dragon didn't respond. Instead it wriggled its long body, almost sending its passenger flying. Then suddenly they did go into a free fall.

Lavi didn't even get the time to scream, because a moment later he hit the hard white scales again as their fall was broken. Yet, Allen didn't seem more coordinated at all.

Instead he flapped his wings even harder, then shook his head.

Lavi screamed in terror as the horns slipped out of his hands and he pressed himself flat against the giant reptile's neck. "Allen, get yourself back together!"

The only response was another short free fall. This time it ended with Lavi groaning too as his chin hit the body under him.

"Allen, I'm seriously going to fall off!"

Trees were coming awfully close now. He could hear the branches snap as clawed paws hit their tops.

"Stop it! We're going to crash!"

And they were. As soon as a clearing appeared under them the dragon swooped down and collided with the ground. Lavi's scream was cut off when the force of their landing slapped his molars together, sending rough stings of pain through them. With a sharp grinding sound the heavy serpent body slit over the ground, then started to roll over.

Just as Lavi saw his life flash before his eyes, knowing he would never survive getting crushed by a dragon, the body under him suddenly shifted and started to shrink.

His second crash with the ground forced the air out of his lungs, but luckily falling on him was just a human boy.

Allen groaned as he rolled to a stop and reached to his head with his hands. He curled up to a ball and didn't move.

Panting and feeling paralyzed for the moment, Lavi stayed where he was, waiting until the worst pain subsided. When he finally felt ready to move, despite adrenaline still raging through his body, he got up slowly and scooted to his companion.

"Allen, are you alright?"

The boy was panting too. He finally lifted his head from his hands and looked at Lavi with unfocussed eyes. At least he was getting a reaction this time. "Y… Yeah, I'm fine." The boy pushed himself up, but as soon as he got on his knees he was swaying dangerously.

"You should probably lie back down."

Allen shook his head, which almost caused him to collapse to the ground entirely. "A compass. I… I need a compass." He looked around wildly as if he thought he would find one on the forest floor.

"Al, it can wait. You just crash landed from hundreds of feet in the air. You should really lie down."

"No!" Suddenly desperation shifted over the pale face. "He called me. I need to know which direction it came from, before I forget what it felt like!"

"Alright, alright! I'll get you a compass. Just take it easy okay?"

Lavi took off his backpack and started rummaging through it. His whole body ached from their crash, but at least nothing seemed broken.

Soon enough he found the little instrument and handed it over to Allen. The boy hastened himself to direct it correctly, but in his rush and with his trembling fingers the object hit the ground instead. Before the quick pale hands could scoop it up again, Lavi snatched it away.

"Just let me handle it. You focus on the direction that feeling came from." Whatever that was supposed to mean.

Allen sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm pretty sure it came from that direction." A moment later he pointed almost in front of them.

"Alright, so if we follow the compass we should get to know the location of whoever called you?" Before he got an answer he was back to looking through his bag and pulled out a map. He unrolled it and put the compass on it.

"Yes, that's right. That's what I need it for. My sense of direction is horrible. I need to make sure I don't go the wrong way." Allen scooted a little closer, staring at the map too. "So, which direction is it exactly?"

Lavi eyed his companion critically, but the boy seemed to be recovering a little. "Well, I can't say for sure since I've never flown before. But I think we should be around here by now." He marked a spot on the map with his finger, then traced a line with his other hand. "And the direction you pointed at would be along this way."

The silver eyes still looked a little clueless. "So, then that's the direction we should go in."
"Ho ho," Lavi turned his head, meeting the boy's eyes with his own. "Where is this sudden change of plans coming from? This isn't the way we should go for our mission."

"It is for mine." Determination was so apparent on Allen's face that Lavi was slightly taken aback. "That call that I felt, that's the person I've been looking for all this time since I descended from the stars. I have to go there, Lavi!"

"What do you mean? You can't possibly be saying the man you're going to defeat is calling you towards him free-willingly."

Suddenly the boy bowed his head, hiding his eyes behind his hair. "He is looking for me too. It's a race. The one finding him first will decide if I'll stop him or he me. He's sealed right now. When I'm a dragon he tries to reach out to me sometimes, but as long as the millennium earl doesn't break the seal he won't be able to take full control of me. But just to be safe, I'd better not try flying again today. I don't want to risk your life in another crash."

The story got a whole lot more interesting all of a sudden. The old man probably knew about this already. He had a feeling he might have been sent with Allen to observe what would happen instead. If that were so…

"Alright, Al, we'll follow your feeling, but we will need to make a short detour to that town we were originally heading to. I have to look for a book there and want to get some food and water before we head out into the middle of nowhere." Though he doubted their food would last longer than a day if the dragon decided to have a full meal.

Allen looked at the map and nodded. "Alright, but we'll have to make it quick. I have a feeling that I'm not the only one who got information on his location."


After a short rest Allen appeared strong enough to get on his feet again and they continued their journey walking. They had passed a good distance with their flight, but Lavi still predicted they needed at least one and a half day to get to their destination.

That night they camped in a little clearing between the trees. Lavi had gathered enough firewood by the time Allen returned with a deer over his shoulders that he'd caught with the predator skills that seemed untouched by the fact that he was in human form. As the redhead struggled hard to generate enough warmth for a spark by wringing a stick between his hands, Allen pulled up a brow, leaned over and blew out shortly. Immediately a little fire jumped over the wood, making happy crackling sounds.

Lavi sighed for his own stupidity as he dropped his job. Right, you didn't have any shortage of fire when your companion was a dragon.

They roasted one of the prey's legs. The rest was eaten raw by Allen, as befitting a large carnivorous reptile. As Lavi threw the remaining bone of his meal into the bushes he turned to his partner.

"So, how did a dragon like you end up at The Order?"

Allen looked up from his own bone. He was basically crunching it between his teeth and Lavi wondered a little worryingly if it was really okay that the boy was swallowing chunks of it too.

"Well, basically they sought me out. As most other dragons got hunted and killed, I got one choice. I could either turn into their enemy and fight or live as fugitive forever, or I could join them where they could keep an eye on me. Since they were the only humans who considered giving a beast like me a chance I decided to take it. With their protection it would be easier to complete my mission too, so I could just return to the stars as quickly as possible."

Lavi put his elbow on his knee and leaned with his chin on his hand. "I didn't think they would be that scared of a dragon like you. You don't seem like the violent type to me."

The reflection of flames danced in Allen's silver eyes as he stared straight into them. "They aren't usually. They know I'm not out for trouble. Most dragons weren't. Don't understand me wrongly: most dragons were killed because their body parts are very valuable in the human world, but there were some that were taken down by The Order."

He sighed. "Some dragons have the tendency to get overwhelmed by really strong negative emotions. When that happens they might lose sense of themselves and they go out of control and if something takes many human lives, it's a dragon in full aggression."

Lavi dropped his hand in his lap. "Wow, I didn't know that."

Allen smiled a little sadly. "The Order tries to keep it a secret. Some members aren't too happy with the idea of a colleague that could go into a murder spree all of a sudden. But it's basically the biggest reason I am one of their members. They think that if they know where I am at all times, it would be easier to react if anything were to happen. Komui doesn't want to kill me without reason after all. He's a good person." Suddenly the boy seemed to remember his bone and started chewing on it again frantically.

"He is indeed," Lavi agreed. He studied the boy in front of him, but however much he looked, he couldn't see a murderous beast in him. Though he probably would have thought differently if he'd sat there in dragon form.

"You know, you could ask Komui for a different partner if you'd want to after this." Allen wouldn't meet his eye as he said it.

"What?" Lavi grinned. "And miss my cute little beansprout as a companion? Never."

A chunk of bone snapped between white teeth. "It's Allen."

"Alright, alright, sorry, Al." Lavi waved his hands as he laughed uneasily.

The boy didn't seem to believe him as he shot him an annoyed look from over the campfire. He put the little piece of bone he had left in his mouth and swallowed it as if trying to deliver a message.

Maybe it really wasn't very smart to anger the dragon who had just told him he could go out of control any time.

"I just can't believe you would do something like that without a good reason," he tried to explain. "So I'm not scared of you. Also I like traveling with you. Though you really should stop freaking me out all the time."

"Freaking you out?" The naïve confusion on the boy's face was almost cute. "Like how?"

"Like when you crunch and swallow bones like it's perfectly normal."

White brows shut up. "But I'm a dragon. I'm not going to waste half of my prey like you. I eat every tiny bit of it. I can't help that I had to bite it all down in human form. Though if you really want me to, we can also not eat our meal together and I can just swallow it whole in my dragon form next time."

"You swallow it whole?"

Allen shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, usually. Sometimes we chew just because it feels nice. But we're not too different from snakes when it comes to eating."

"So you can digest everything?" Dragons really were interesting. He should look for books on them when he got the chance.

Allen stared in the flames thoughtfully. "Not everything. But we don't really care about it. Our body is much better in deciding what is useful and what not."

"That's also a way to look at it."

Their conversation died there. Lavi yawned and let his eye fall shut. Allen didn't seem much more awake.

The crackling of the fire quieted down as time passed. A slight breeze rustled through the leaves. Lavi laid himself down on the forest floor, letting his mind fade into sleep.

The sudden sound of a howling wolf tore through the silence of the night. Immediately he jolted up, adrenaline pumping through his veins. The flames had died into a red glowing light. Quickly Lavi fed it some twigs and blew to light it up again.

Allen opened his eyes too. Clouded with sleep they looked more dark grey than silver. "What's wrong, Lavi?"

"Nothing, you can just go back to sleep."

As the wood was accepted by the flames he started throwing in more to get it back to full strength. Another howl, this time closer, made a shiver run over his spine. He'd better get this fire going if he didn't want the full pack attacking them soon.

Allen eyed his hurried activities sleepily. "Are you scared of wolfs?"

"Well, they do eat people, you know."

Finally satisfied with the strength of his fire, he put a long and thick branch next to him. If the animals would come too close, he could light it and ward them off.

"Well, dragons eat wolfs." Allen stated softly before yawning. "So you should just go back to sleep already."

Lavi froze. For a moment he had forgotten his partner wasn't human. However, that meant he might not be the only one. "How do the wolfs know you're a dragon? They might attack us in our sleep and you might be too late to react."

Allen sighed, then pushed himself off the ground. "I don't see what you're so worried about."

Yeah, maybe because he was a vicious, giant reptile.

"But if it makes you feel better." Suddenly the boy's body contorted. The play of shadows and the light of flames gave a darker, creepier dimension to the way all of his proportions changed. Allen's torso kept growing in length, curling around their camp like scaly walls closing it in.

Then it finally stopped. A large head loomed over the rolled up serpent body. "We can sleep like this too. No wolf would be stupid enough to take me on."

To be honest, the whole transformation had freaked him out way more than any wolf ever could, but he wasn't going to say that.

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

A white snout leaned in, blowing a little breeze of wind through Lavi's hair. "It doesn't make any difference to me either way. So just go to sleep, alright? I'll keep an eye out for any dangerous forest creatures that try to eat my little human partner."

As he looked into the silver eyes he knew Allen meant it, even if he had used such a teasing tone. He was really going to be safe here.

"Alright then, just make sure to get some sleep too, though."

"No worries."

Allen pulled his head back. A soft rustle indicated he'd laid it down at the other side of his body.

Lavi sighed and tried to release the tension that had built up inside of him. He had to admit it really did feel safe. The giant body curled around him felt like a barricade for the outside world. One big claw was resting a few feet away from him, but as sharp as it looked he knew it was there to protect him, not hurt him.

He scooted back, until he was leaning against the hard scales. They felt warm against his skin. In response to the touch Allen shifted lightly, making Lavi pull back quickly.

However, the white body constricted a little further until they were in contact again, then relaxed. Apparently Allen didn't mind after all.

He laid down, his back against the warm creature. A heavy, slow, but rhythmic drum traveled towards his ear through the ground. Fastening slightly as the dragon breathed in and slowing down as air gushed out of the giant lungs again. Everything in this gigantic body went slower, but it was all still there. Even if Allen claimed to be a star, he was just as much alive as any other.

Lavi let his eye slide shut to the assuring presence of his companion. For the first time he didn't feel any doubt about being so close to a dangerous dragon. Instead he felt safe and satisfied at the thought that Allen was next to him as he fell asleep.


They reached their destination the next afternoon. Allen was obviously getting nervous the longer they were deviating from the indicated direction, so Lavi hurried to gather all the supplies he needed. He didn't manage to find one of the books he was looking for, but all of a sudden that didn't seem really important anymore, anyway.

As he stepped outside he noticed a little girl with spiky hair was staring up at Allen. The lollypop in her hand seemed to have gotten unimportant as her face split into a smile.

"I can't believe it, an actual dragon!"

Lavi froze as his partner turned around in surprise and only seemed to notice the child now.

"and he's a star too! Don't tell me you happen to be Allen Walker?"

Allen took a step back, suspicion invading his eyes. "Yes, I am. How do you know?"

"No way! I never expected to meet you here." Her candy got tossed away now. "I bet Millennie won't mind if I play with you a little."

"Millennie", that couldn't stand for millennium earl, could it?

Her skin changed shade. As it grew ash grey, seven star shaped scars appeared on her forehead.

Allen started growling deep in his throat, shocking Lavi in taking a step behind his partner instinctively.

"You're a fallen star."

The girl smiled at Allen. "That's right. I'm Road Kamelot, a member of the clan of Noah, banished from the night sky so heavily that we had to give up our dragon body. But don't underestimate us. They couldn't take away all of our powers. They simply manifest differently now."

As she turned her hand Lavi felt something pull at his body harshly, sending him flying through the air until a brick wall absorbed his speed. The sudden halt made him crash on the ground with nauseating force.

"Lavi!"

Allen's outcry sounded muffled through the piercing pain that tortured his head. He cracked an eye open, but the rest of his body wouldn't listen. He fearfully wondered how many of his bones would have broken.

The girl cackled loudly. "Now that the boring human is gone, we can finally play."
Allen clenched his jaws. As his lips parted fangs got visible behind them. "How could you. He has nothing to do with this. I thought you wanted to have me!"

Road put a finger under her chin, tilting her head. "But isn't he important to you? That makes it all the more fun."
A growl rumbled dangerously in the boy's throat. "I can see why the stars banished you."

The comment seemed to greatly entertain the girl. "Well, what about you. Aren't you cursed too?"

The growl was cut off with a surprised sound as Allen stared at her with wide open eyes.

"Didn't the stars technically banish you here too? They won't let you go back either, will they?"

"That's different." Allen seemed to have trouble pushing out his words.

"Is it?" Road narrowed her eyes in amusement. "If you ask me they were just scared of you. It's just a matter of time until you get banished for real too. But you know that, don't you?"

Pain flashed over the silver eyes as their pupils lengthened, but Road wasn't done yet.

"They just needed an excuse to get you here. They gave you just this little hope of fighting against your fate, but basically they knew you wouldn't succeed all along. That's why they gave you that curse. The moment Neah takes control of you, you won't be able to return anymore, you know. Gravity will start pulling at you too and the stars will be forever out of reach."

"They just did that for safety!" But the cry sounded weak. It was obvious Allen didn't believe in it himself. And with that, his limit seemed to have been reached, because then an aggressive snarl left the boy's lips as he dashed forward, slashing at the girl with grown out claws.

Road dodged the attack with ease. She danced around playfully as her opponent kept coming at her.

Lavi groaned as he pushed himself up on his arms. His body was bruised all over, but the worst of the pain was disappearing. He had to help Allen somehow. If he could get behind Road while Allen kept her occupied he might be able to end it with a fling of his hammer.

However, the opposite happened. Suddenly an icy voice spoke from behind him: "Who said you could get up?"

A foot connected with the back of his head and planted his face in the hard street tiles.

"Leave him alone!"

The weight disappeared as a gush of wind blew through his hair. When Lavi managed to lift his face, warm liquid now seeping over his lips, he saw Allen was chasing her even more furiously than before. A set of horns had started sprouting from his head and scales were covering parts of his skin. He wasn't too far away from a transformation.

However, something seemed wrong with it this time. It was like the boy wasn't even aware himself in what state his body was.

Road cackled, still too fast every time. "The fact that you're getting so worked up proves how many doubts you have about this yourself."

"Shut up!"

Wings unfolded to give Allen just that extra push of speed, but Road darted away just a millisecond too fast.

"I'm very sorry for you, Allen. Why don't you join us? In contrary to that Mana we really care for you. We will finally answer the love you have been giving him for so long."

Allen came to a standstill, panting heavily. Nothing about him seemed human anymore as he bared his carnivorous teeth. "I don't need any of you. Mana is more than enough. He will be waiting for me when I return."

Road's golden eyes flickered as pity crossed her face. "Oh my, you can't really still be believing that. Allen, if Mana cared for you, wouldn't he have told you Neah is his brother?"

The boy froze. His trembling muscles the only movement as he stared at Road in horror while she unfolded the awful truth.

"As I thought, he didn't. I'm very sorry, Allen, but it's true. Neah, the one who will take down the stars by controlling you, is Mana's brother. That's probably why he has been raising you. He must have loved his twinbrother after all and raised you for him. Haven't you ever wondered why he was the only star against killing you?"

The terror inside Allen was so tangible that Lavi could feel it claw at his own heart. He wanted to say something, but the moment he tried, Road twisted a hand, pushing his face back against the ground with her powers.

"Mana wouldn't…" Allen's voice was trembling as much as his hands. "Mana didn't… No, it can't be." For a moment pale hands rose to cover the faltering face. Then, suddenly, wings and feet pushed off for another launch at their opponent.

A simple step aside was ample to avoid it.

Allen screamed in frustration as he realized he had missed his tormentor again. Another fit of blind rage followed, in which the two chased each other all over the street. This time flames danced with them, barely missing the girl with every outburst.

"There is something else the stars probably didn't tell you either." Road cheered as she dodged a column of fire.

Allen didn't even seem able to answer anymore. His voice seemed to have gotten lost under the growling and snarling of a furious predator, trying to kill its prey.

"Really, Allen, if they had cared about you they would at least have told you instead of letting you stare upwards with false hope all the time. Because you know what? Mana won't be waiting there anymore. He long died while you were still down here."

That was enough to stop the fury of attacks. Allen shook his head, incredibility written on his face.

"And do you know why they didn't tell you? Because they did it. The stars found out about his betrayal. They found out he didn't raise you because he loved you, but for his brother. So they killed him."

Allen shook his head again.

"You can ask them if you don't believe me. But it would be useless for me to lie, wouldn't it? Especially when the stars can hear me from up there and tell you differently all the time." And then Road delivered the final blow. "But they aren't doing that, are they?"

Tears shot into the silver eyes. Allen screamed as he lifted his hands to his head and sunk through his knees. For a moment he stayed on the ground, panting heavily. Then, as fast as he had collapsed he rose up, his face contorted in murderous rage. The proportions of his body contorted. He was changing back.

Their conversation of the night before popped back up in his head and Lavi felt fear fill his body. "Wait, Al, don't listen to her. She's trying to set you up!"

The dragon didn't listen. It raised its head, roaring aggressively before pouncing on the girl.

"That was easier than I expected. But I had a lot of fun playing with you two."

Lavi jolted around to find Road there, smiling at him.

"Good luck with him." Her golden eyes darted to the raging dragon that had seemed to have realized its opponent had escaped again and was now crushing a building under one of its claws in frustration. "It won't be easy to stay alive until The Order comes to kill him."

Then she was gone.

Lavi stared at the place she had stood just now with shock, then got distracted when an enormous crash created a little earthquake. The dragon howled in outrage.

'….until The Order comes to kill him.'

No way. This couldn't be what Allen had told him about. They had discussed this just yesterday!

Allen curled around in the air and smashed his tail in one of the houses, making bricks rain down as screams sounded up from inside. Instead of stopping when he heard them, the dragon opened its maw and buried its direct surroundings in a roaring sea of flames.

"Allen, stop it, you're hurting people!" With enormous effort Lavi managed to lift himself off the ground, back on his feet. "Get yourself back together!"

It didn't have the desired effect. Instead the giant reptile jolted its head, piercing furious eyes at him. There didn't seem to be any recognition inside of them.

"Al, you can't do this to me." Knowing he didn't have any chance of survival if the beast decided to attack, anyway, he walked forward in the hope his words would reach his partner better up close. He had to try anything to stop this before The Order would kill Allen. "I know I didn't believe you when you told me about how dragons can suddenly get aggressive yesterday, but that doesn't mean you have to prove me wrong now. Come on, I believe you now, let's just go on with our journey, okay?"

The reptile snarled. Its head lowered dangerously close to Lavi's face. He could be gone with just one bite now. Lavi felt his breath stock as his heart moved up towards his throat. Though his hand trembled uncontrollably he lifted it and put it on the scaly snout in front of him.

"Come on, Al. We still have a long way to go for your mission. You don't want to do it all on your own do you?"

Silver eyes glittered strangely.

"Let's finish this together. I still want to make another flight with you. You know, one that doesn't end with a crash-landing." He cracked a smile, thought he wasn't sure how it looked with how terrified he felt.

A soft moan escaped the beast's mouth, much less threatening than the growling from before.

"It doesn't matter what she said, does it? You can still return home when you've finished this mission. But even until then, you aren't alone, Al. The Order is there, Komui cares about you and I'm here too."

The muscles in the dragon's face finally relaxed, then everything started to shrink until just a small boy sunk down on the street in front of Lavi. Tears streamed over his face as sobs tortured his fragile chest.

Relief washed over Lavi like the first drops of water quenching a giant sense of thirst. He dropped himself to the ground too, then pulled the boy to his chest. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm here."

Allen grabbed his shirt and pulled himself closer. Warm tears soaked the fabric. Lavi let one of his hands brush through the white hair, petting the boy's head softly. It really was as soft as he'd thought that moment he'd washed it.

He sat there with Allen as the buildings around them crackled with flames. But even when a wall collapsed by the forces of destruction, Lavi didn't flinch. He just held on to his partner, waiting patiently until the boy would finally feel ready to go on again.


They left the city as fast as they could. Allen seemed pained at the sight of the destruction he had caused, but when they called Komui, the chief simply acknowledged the damage and promised he would fix it. There was no sign of blame anywhere in his voice. He probably must have known how much the boy would beat himself up for it.

However, as soon as they were out in the forest again, trying to get back on the line he had traced on the map, Lavi was starting to realize they were being followed. Allen's suspicious expression showed he had realized it too, but he wasn't making any preparation to react to it.

Lavi closed in, then leaned towards his partner to whisper softly enough that nobody else could hear it. "So, what are we going to do about our shadows?"

Silver eyes flickered to him shortly. "Nothing. I'll just change into a dragon tonight and see if they still got the guts to challenge us."

That plan seemed so simple that Lavi felt his brows rise. "Wouldn't that be a little bit too obvious?"

"It has worked before." Allen stretched his arms and yawned. "These guys are here for me, but I bet they have never actually seen a live dragon before."

"So they aren't wyverns?"

"Nope, just normal humans out for money."

Lavi let a little distance grow between them again to avoid too much suspicion in their followers.

"So, Lavi, what do you think about telling an interesting story yourself this time? I've been telling you about the stars and my mission and all, but you almost never talk about yourself."

The question came a little unexpected. Lavi laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head, trying to think of anything to tell. He was usually the one fishing for stories. He didn't tell them himself very often.

"But, Al, your life is so much more interesting. I'm just a boring librarian. I spend my entire life with my nose buried in dusty old books."

Allen raised his brows in amusement. "I wouldn't call these past few days boring."

"That's an exception though."

"Then tell me about the exceptions." There was real interest in de boy's eyes. "Didn't you go traveling like this before too?"

"Hmmm," Lavi put a finger on his chin, "I did a few times, but I bet you've seen a lot of the world yourself as well. Oh!" Instinctively his finger followed his thoughts and rose in the air. "I can tell you about the time I lost my eye. It's a really exciting story with pirates and all."

Allen laughed. "How does a boring librarian meet pirates?"

Lavi fixed his eye on the boy with a serious expression. "Pirates are our worst enemies, Al. They steal all kinds of really valuable literature because it brings up money. So this time, I was ordered to steal it back for The Order."

The corners of Allen's mouth curled up. "Alright, that sounds like a really exciting story indeed. Please go on."


Lavi was a funny guy, Allen concluded as he thought back to their earlier conversations while he made his way back with their dinner slung over his shoulders. He hadn't been sure he was happy with his new partner at first, but as soon as he had found out how lighthearted Lavi could be it had somehow rubbed off on him. Not to mention he had been there in the city too. Every other member of The Order would have tried to kill him, but not Lavi. If his companion hadn't tried so hard to reach him, he didn't think he would have stopped there.

One of the leg bones under his fingers snapped, reminding him he was clenching it too tightly. For a moment Allen stopped and took a moment to breathe, trying to release the tension from his muscles and lock away the chaos of emotions that rose up every time he thought back to his meeting with Road. He couldn't help but wonder if she had been right. After all, the stars did stay silent all that time.

He ordered his legs to continue walking again. The crunching of leaves and twigs under his feet was the only sound in the forest. It was quiet… too quiet. Their pursuers had pulled back, but he knew they were still there. Their scent lingered in his nose as a silent warning. Only humans could think they could stay unnoticed like that.

The sun had set as soon as he entered the clearing Lavi was setting up their camp in. Shades slid over the trees, turning from light grey to deep black in a slightly higher pace than the sky above them. The first stars were becoming visible, looking down on the earth from their peaceful little place in heaven.

"Is that a boar?!" Lavi's eye lit up when he noticed the prey his partner was bringing in. He whistled appreciatively. "Nice, that will taste good!"

Allen smiled as he dropped his load. "I was lucky. It was so occupied with the scent of those truffles that he didn't notice me creeping up on him at all."

He let Lavi take over to skin and clean the meat before cooking it. That was a human specialty. Allen loved meals they made, but he didn't usually have the patience to actually do it himself.

"Well, you're not the only lucky one."

They ate calmly at the fire, speaking in hushed voices and keeping an extra eye out for their followers. However, the night stayed calm as it grew darker and darker and the sounds of birds fell quiet and got replaced by cricket calls and bat squeaks.

"Aaahhaaa~," Allen stretched himself and yawned, "I guess it's about time I fix our little problem so we can go to sleep."

He got up, winking at Lavi who frowned worriedly. With a deep breath he concentrated on the feeling of brightness inside of himself. The fire in his chest, the starlight in his hart. He pulled the essence of his very being out of the little corner he had pushed it away in and let it unfold and grow. Immediately he could feel his body react. A familiar sensation of unbalance overwhelmed him when everything inside him started to shift. His body lengthened, his limps falling behind in comparison. His cheeks stretched out, giving birth to his long whiskers as fangs surpassed his lips. A new set of limps unfolded on his back, suddenly reminding him of his eagerness to use them again.

As soon as his body finally settled and the energy inside him stabilized, Allen shook himself to loosen his muscles.

"Al, are you really sure this is a good idea?"

Before he could answer to Lavi's question a movement in the bushes distracted him. He pulled up his lip, growling softly. He really didn't want to hurt any humans if he could. He'd rather scare them off without a fight. However, he was starting to get the feeling it might not be that easy this time. Transforming could scare off people, but it could also trigger them to come out and fight. They were after his dragon body after all. He just hadn't really felt like telling Lavi that part and making him doubt the tactic even more.

He was right. A man cried out, then came chasing from out of the forest with a spear raised.

For a moment Allen reacted instinctively, lowering his head and baring his fangs with an aggressive snarl. Too late he realized that, of course, it had just been an evasive tactic.

Something cold and heavy fell over his snout, then curled around it like a snake. In a first reflex he lifted his head, trying to fling it off, but instead it only tightened, digging deep into the sensitive scaly skin on his nose.

"Allen!"

He ignored Lavi's cry as he shook his head, then backed away to get rid of the horrible thing. Yells of humans in front of him told him they were having a hard time to hold on to the chain, so he unfolded his wings to blow them out of balance.

However, a piercing pain stopped them from moving. He howled through his clenched teeth as his wings were forced to the ground. Soon, more cold, metal chains snaked over his neck and body too, pulling him towards the ground like gravity.

Somewhere behind him Lavi sounded like he was trying to fight their pursuers off, but there were just too many for him. Way more than Allen had expected, much smarter and stronger too.

He thrashed around as the humans gathered around him. Most were hanging on tight to the imprisoning chains, but a few, with nasty looking weapons closed in.

Adrenaline fueled the flames inside of his body, making smoke clouds escape his nostrils as he growled to them deeply.

The humans didn't seem to pay him any attention. They were too busy with fighting over their prey.

"A stab through the eye should do it."

"But you'd ruin it. The eyes will bring up at least 200 gold each."

"Then what else would you want to do? It's that or the heart. There is no other way to kill a dragon."

"We could also just take anything valuable while it's still alive. Surely it will have died by the time we're done with it."

He didn't like the sound of this. His mind rushed to find a solution for his situation, but at this moment he couldn't think of anything that wouldn't immediately kill his opponents. He wanted to avoid that at any cost. Especially after all the lives he had taken before already.

"That sounds like a plan. Give me that hammer, I'll start with the first thing I realized I wanted."

Allen pulled at his prison desperately as the man closed in on him, until he was standing next to his bound snout.

"Sorry, dragon," the man bared his pathetic excuse for teeth in a sardonic smirk. "You'll be separating from your fang first."

There was nothing he could do. All his muscles tensed, but his attackers had their strength in numbers. He didn't manage to move more than a foot before the hammer described an arc in the air and ended on his canine.

The piercing pain was so intense that he howled again. An ominous snapping sound echoed through the clearing.

"Hmm, this thing is stronger than I thought. It didn't come out yet." The man eyed his treasure, before lifting his weapon again. "But don't worry. I'll get it."

All instincts inside Allen surfaced. They screamed inside his head, forced themselves up through his nerves, yelling to him he had to survive.

That and the immense pain were probably the reason he was blinded so much that when the voice reached him he didn't think twice about his order.

'What are you doing? You can't die! You're mine as soon as I get out of here. So stand up and fight. Kill those lowly mortals!'

A flash flame heated his throat and nostrils on its way outside. It sprayed over the grass, got picked up by the wind and carried to the side where the people holding his muzzle screamed and had no choice but to let go and flee.

With a jolt he crashed his head into his tormentor, then freed his jaws to indulge him in another sea of flames.

The screeches rising up fed the raw energy in his veins, accelerating his heart even further. He twisted, snapping at the left over men holding on to his body. As soon as his teeth sunk into the first three, crunching bones, the other humans let go of their posts too. They turned tail and fled.

He roared, dropping the corpses from his mouth back on the ground. A piercing pain in his jaw where his fang had been hit made him even more furious. Flames rose from his chest, burying the trees under destructive light and devouring people. He breezed, turned around to repay the rest too.

Then something pierced through the red hot fury in his mind. A lonely figure, crying out to him in desperation. His hair burned red like the flames around them.

Lavi…

The dark haze in his mind dissipated as his eyes found a green one. The fire inside him lowered, finally taking away the suffocating hotness inside his body. His veins stopped burning.

"I'm so sorry."

He only realized he had said it out loud as he lowered his head, folding in his wings.

So sorry…

In a desperate attempt to erase his own horrifying identity he pushed away all of his power, all of the fire, all of the eye-blinding brightness. He let the scales vanish, his claws turn to hands, his fangs turn to normal teeth. The grass felt cold against the naked human skin of his hands as he ended with his knees on the ground.

What have I done?

He closed his eyes, trying to ban out the image of the burning forest, the dying people. However, their screams wouldn't let themselves get blocked out.

He had let himself get overwhelmed. He'd let Neah in, even when he was still sealed. He was entirely guilty for every life that had been taken today.

He pushed his face to the ground, trying to hide it between the wet grassy strands. Road, and the stars, had been right. Neah could control him.

Suddenly his eyes shot back open in terror. He lifted his head, barely registering Lavi was there too, asking him if he was alright. Instead he stared up at the night sky, seeing the stars shine brighter than ever. Their light was so overwhelming, it was like they could descend right there and burn him with it.

He screamed when his left cheek burst out in pain. Red hot and ice cold at the same time, the torturing sensation spread over his skin, down to his chin and up to his forehead. His blood ran cold, transporting the terrifying feeling through his body, all the way to his feet. Suddenly, a giant, prevalent force pulled him down, towards the earth, like it wanted to drag him straight through the ground towards the burning core deep inside it.

"Allen, speak to me? What's happening?" The hand the redhead put on his shoulder felt tremendously heavy. It was like the guy tried pushing him down too, just as those poachers had done before.

With a despaired cry Allen slapped it off and attempted to crawl back, which only resulted in a pathetic fall back on the ground that suddenly seemed so eager to keep him close.

"What's wrong?"

As soon as he met the worried green eye, he immediately regretted his action again. Panting from the shock he stayed where he was, digging his fingers in the earth.

He felt so heavy. It was like someone had taken his very being and started pushing on it. Like it was trying to imprison him.

It couldn't be…

He locked his eyes on the ground in front of him, trying to push away the terror building up inside.

No, that didn't affect him. It had never done that. Mana had explained how it kept the other creatures down here, while they were up there. He couldn't possibly be imprisoned here like them. It couldn't be-

Gravity…

Allen gasped for air as all tension inside him exploded. He forced himself up, ordering all of his dragon muscles to somehow meet his demands, no matter how much resistance they had to overcome. As a spring unleashing all of its power, he jumped up, transformed midair and slammed his wings down with all the force he had.

Lavi screamed and he was vaguely aware the redhead was forced to the ground by his take off, but he didn't take any time to slow down. Instead he forced his wings to move. They pushed the air, working against the horrible pull that was trying to get him back down.

Up… Up… Up… he had to get up there. Where the stars were. Where he belonged.

He locked his eyes on the lights, not paying attention on anything else as he climbed higher and higher. Lavi's voice faded under him, but the stars didn't get any closer.

He flapped desperately. Rising even higher. Still staring at the stars, his home.

Mana, no, Mana, you can't be doing this to me.

The air was growing icy cold. For the first time in his life the sensation crawled through his scales deep into his bones, paralyzing his already exhausted muscles. His lungs worked overtime, but the air seemed to get thinner and thinner the higher he got. His body was screaming for oxygen. His brain was getting hazy.

No

This wasn't a sensation a star should have. There was no too cold for them up there. There was no need for oxygen where they lived. There was no gravity that was stronger than muscles.

"Mana, if the earth is so much less pretty than our home, than why don't the living beings there come up here? I wouldn't stay there if I were them."
The man petted his head, following his gaze downwards, to the giant blue ball, turning slowly. "It's because they can't do that, Allen. Of course they would like to come here too. That's why you see them looking up to us so often. But they can't go as high as we can, because gravity keeps them down there."
He looked up at the golden eyes with awe. "What's gravity?"
"It's a force that keeps all that don't belong here on the earth. It pulls them down when they try to get up. If a bird tries to fly as high as you do, it will freeze, run out of breath and then be forced to land back on the earth's surface again. But you shouldn't worry about it too much. Something like that doesn't apply to stars like us. You will always be able to return, even if you decide to settle down on the earth sometime."

No, he couldn't be stuck down here. The stars couldn't have banished him. Gravity was for mortals. Not for a dragon like him.

He howled, flapping his wings with the last strength he had left in them. The sound of pure desperation traveled through the air. It should have reached the bright spots above, but there wasn't any sign they had heard it. Their light shone as coldly as before.

The frost was eating at his wings. His muscles were giving up without their share of oxygen.
He howled again, requesting at least one answer.

Nobody responded.

Even as his body became a subject to the overruling force of the earth again, the stars didn't seem to change anything in distance. In desperation he tried flapping his wings to get back up, but instead he kept making speed downwards, back to his imprisonment.

Let me go home!

He cried out, twisting in the air as he'd done so many times before, but there was nothing supporting him. Trees met him instead, snapping under his hard scales, then the ground hugged him as he crashed down.

No, he couldn't stay here.

He curled back up, tried smashing his wings down again, but the limps felt heavy and slow and didn't manage to repeat the same movement before he crashed on the ground. He tried again, and again. The longer it lasted the more pathetic his attempts were getting.

Staring upwards, he cried out one more time, howling all of his pain to his home.

But as no answer came again he curled up, tried to push himself away. Wishing he could disappear right on the spot. His body responded by taking away his wings and shrinking to a tiny human. With less heaviness in his limps the change was quite welcome.

"Allen."

At some moment Lavi must have crept up to him. He could feel his hands on his shoulders, pushing him even further to the earth.

"I'm here, Al."

He didn't say it was okay.

He must have known it wasn't.

Allen's heart traveled up to his mouth and left it in a desperate wail. Tears burst out of his eyes, soaking his cheeks as they rolled downwards. He wrapped his arms around his body, desperately trying to hold it together as it felt ready to break apart.

An arm wrapped around him and pulled him closer to a chest, but Allen didn't feel able to respond to the touch. He bowed his head, burying it in between their bodies, hoping that hiding it would somehow make it disappear.

Of course it didn't. It just caused his tears to drip to the ground directly. His screams to be muffled by the fabric of their clothes. His fingers dug in his own shirt, scratching over his skin. But nothing seemed to lighten the pain inside of him. Somehow breathing had gotten even harder down here than just before up there.

His companion didn't say anything else anymore, but the arms didn't falter. They didn't move away as the night grew longer and longer. Lavi stayed right there, until every last bit of Allen's strength had left his body, until the very last tear was shed. And even then he held on to him. But the warmth of his partner's body didn't seem to be able to reach him, leaving him frozen to the core.


It hurt to see his companion this way. Though Lavi couldn't know for sure, he had an idea of what had happened last night. Somehow Allen had become unable to return to the stars. After he had killed those humans that attacked him, his scar had spread and bound him to the ground. It had been devastating to the dragon. Its howls had cut straight through his heart. The boy had cried until he had fallen asleep from exhaustion. The stars had been all for his partner, but now they were just as much out of reach for him as for anyone else.

He couldn't even understand how much pain Allen was feeling. However, most of it was clearly written in the dark bags under the boy's now dull grey eyes. He hadn't eaten much for breakfast either, instead had curled himself up, wrapping his arms around his stomach after just one rabbit. Lavi had packed the other ones for later, but something gave him the feeling Allen might not want it then either.

Maybe his tooth was hurting. He let his hand slip in the bag of his jacket where he touched the sharp point that had come off from Allen's fang. It was a very unconvincing theory though, after all that had happened. He had picked the shard up after Allen had fallen asleep. The poacher had probably damaged it so much that it had broken during all the violence. He would offer it to the boy later, but this didn't seem like the right moment.

The sound of something hitting the floor snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned around in worry. Allen had sunk in on the ground, panting heavily. Sweat was soaking his hair and dripping into his collar. As the boy dug his fingers in the soil, it became painfully visible how much his muscles were shaking.

Lavi walked back and squatted in front of him. "Are you okay, Al? Do you want to drink or eat something?"

The pale fingers tore through the earth with even more force. "I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Alright, but this isn't really a nice spot to take a break. Shall I carry you until we find a better place where we can eat lunch?"

He turned his back to the boy, opening his arms backwards. However, when he turned his head because Allen didn't seem to be moving, he saw his companion had clenched his teeth.

"Why is it, that I'm unable to walk properly, but you can even carry me on top of your own weight?" The voice was soft, but the words were rough and full of frustration. "How can you stand living like this, as the world keeps pulling you down so violently? How can you take getting crushed by the weight of everything around and inside of you?"

Lavi turned around again to face the boy and, paying attention to the words, put a hand on the side of his shoulder, instead of on top of it, trying to lean it as little on his companion as possible. "I don't know any better, Al. For me it's entirely normal. I bet it will be for you soon as well. Your body probably just needs to get used to it now."

"I don't know if I want to get used to it," the statement was barely audible.

"Don't worry, Al. You're not alone in this. Come, get on my back. We'll find a place for a break. This world also has a lot of beautiful things to offer that I'm sure of the stars don't have."

This time he finally felt his companion's arms wrap around his chest as he offered his back to him. He grabbed the boy's legs, took a moment to stabilize himself and then rose slowly but firmly. As he put his feet back to walking he became strongly aware of the one he was carrying. Allen's breath made the boy's chest push against his shirt in short intervals. The pulse of a hurried heartbeat pounded where the skin of his neck touched his partner's. His back was getting warm from their trapped body heat.

Actually, he didn't mind carrying Allen at all. It felt kind of cozy and the boy weighed next to nothing.

About half an hour later their road met a little, calm stream that gurgled merrily through the trees. Lavi lowered Allen to the ground, who seemed to be able to stand a little again, then went to search for some firewood to roast another rabbit for lunch. When he came back his partner was gone, his footsteps leading deeper into the forest. He probably just needed a little space right now.

So the redhead concentrated on building a fire and hung the meat over it.

Just before their meal was ready and he was starting to wonder if he should call his companion, he jolted up in shock when the sound of tree trunks snapping echoed through the forest. Giant, irregular wing beats traveled through the air as a dragon tried to lift itself off the ground but didn't quite manage. The reptile was killing more trees than he was making height.

Lavi watched with pity as Allen kept doing more attempts to stay in the air. As easy as flying had seemed to him when they had gone up together, it looked more like crashing now.

The rabbit really was ready though. He took the meat off the fire, then stood up and put his hands next to his mouth to amplify the sound as he called: "Allen, are you coming? Lunch is ready!"

The sound of one last avalanche of breaking and falling trees made Lavi flinch. Then a much softer rustle of leaves announced the arrival of a human sized boy.

Allen looked terrible. His hair was intertwined with twigs and leaves. Mud and scratches covered his skin and he was limping lightly. He wouldn't meet Lavi's eye as he made his way to the fire and sat down next to it. He grabbed a leg from the rabbit, tearing it off violently before starting to munch hungrily.

Well, at least he was eating again.

"Shall I get this stuff out for you?" He leaned over to untangle a twig from the boy's hair.

Allen shrugged his shoulders. "Do whatever you want."

The cold reply worried him a little. He sat down behind his partner and started with brushing the leaves off. "Oh, come on, Al. I remember how upset you were about those ink stains before. I'm sure you must care at least a little about it."

"I just don't see the use of it anymore. It doesn't matter if it's white or grey. I'm not a star anymore, anyway."

Lavi was as careful as he could as he untangled the strands of hair one by one, giving freedom to a particularly stubborn branch that wouldn't let go. "You can't suddenly stop being who you are. You'll always be a star. You just happen to have fallen to the earth, but that doesn't make you any less one of them." He combed his fingers through the hair, feeling the softness return slowly. "Try to see it from the bright side. A fallen star means you can make a wish. I bet you'll get it granted when you've defeated this stupid Neah guy."

Allen didn't give any sign that he liked or disliked the care for his hair. "I don't think they can. As you said before: gravity isn't something you can just turn off. I think I'll be stuck here for eternity, unable to do anything. It's horrible. Even when I sit I can feel the earth pulling me down. He can feel it pressing me to the ground. I can't even eat properly without feeling how heavy the meat is in my stomach."

So that was why he had trouble eating.

"I hate this place," Allen whispered softly as he curled up. "It's like a prison."

Lavi massaged his fingers over the boy's scalp. "It's an incredibly big and wonderful prison though. If only you gave it a chance."

Allen lifted his head and turned around, looking at Lavi with dull grey eyes. "How do I do that, if the memory of all that I've lost is over my head every night?"

"You could try looking at all the pretty things this world has to offer, like the amazingly handsome redhead you've been traveling with." Lavi couldn't help but try to lighten the mood with a grin. "Besides, I think you're just misunderstanding. If I were the earth I would be pulling at you too. Nobody wants to let a cute guy like you get away."

Thankfully, it worked just a little. Allen's expression softened. The corners of his mouth even moved upward just a tiny bit. "Sounds like you'll have to try harder to keep me close then, Lavi. You've got very strong competition."

Lavi laughed as he grabbed one of the rabbit's legs for himself and offered the boy the rest. "Maybe we can become a trio. The earth seems to like me just as much."

"You're a weird one, Lavi." With those words Allen accepted the meat and dug in seemingly more excited than before.

"Says the dragon descended from the stars." He eyed the boy as he worked away the rabbit on top speed, crunching and swallowing it with bones and all. "I can't believe you never get stomach aches."

Allen sighed in satisfaction, then shoved some dirt over their fire to extinguish it. "I can't believe you still throw away worthy food just because it 'doesn't taste nice'." He got up. "Let's go. We've still got a long way ahead of us and I already got us behind on schedule."

After a few quick bites of meat, Lavi followed the boy's example. "Alright, but tell me if you start having trouble again."

"Thank you, but I won't." The determination in his companion's words would almost make him believe it was going to be true.

But of course it wasn't. As soon as they set off it was clear Allen was still having a hard time. Though he had been able to keep up easily before, he now stayed behind more and more. Lavi tried to slow down his pace unnoticeably, but he was sure the boy had already become aware of it by now. They were barely making any movement forward anymore. However, Allen wouldn't admit defeat. His silver eyes were fixed on the ground determinedly. His breath was quick and ragged. His legs were trembling. It was clear it was more about pride than anything else though, so Lavi didn't say anything, just watched, wishing he could help in any way.

Every time Allen would stumble he would go over to him, but his companion wouldn't look him in the eye as he said he was alright and he forced himself back up on unwilling muscles.

Lavi couldn't imagine what gravity could possibly be like for a creature that had lived so long without, but Allen's terrible effort on simply walking gave him the big idea. He was starting to understand why the boy would feel so trapped by the earth.

Finally, after a few hours Allen didn't stand up again. It wasn't that he wasn't trying. Just that both his arms and legs seemed to lack strength to. Lavi watched from a distance as his companion clenched his teeth, tried and failed again. Then, to the redhead's shock two giant structures suddenly sprouted from the boy's back, slapping down violently, creating a whirlwind around them. Though the wings seemed to be able to lift him just a bit, Allen didn't seem capable of carrying his own weight. His knees gave away under him, making him smack back on the ground in a humiliating crash.

He couldn't watch this anymore.

"Al, maybe you should call it a day. You can't expect your body to adapt so fast. Give your muscles some time to build up strength."

Allen didn't answer. He just stared at the ground while he panted. The wings disappeared.

Lavi walked towards him and kneeled down. "You tried really hard. Let's just rest now, okay? I'll carry you until we find a place to stay the night."

There was no answer again. However, the trembling arms were clear enough about the message the boy's body was giving. He wasn't going to get up again any time soon.

"Come, get on." He turned around, offering his back once again.

He hadn't expected his companion to give in so quickly, but two arms wrapped around his neck. He had to try harder to get the boy's legs in a good grip this time, since Allen didn't seem able to have any remaining strength to help anymore. As soon as they were set he started with a fast but steady pace.

They would have to speed up a little if they still wanted to reach Neah before the earl did. He knew how important that was for his companion. He could just as well try to at least help him with that after all this.

Something wet, but warm dripped into his neck, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned his head a little in worry, then realized what it was as another droplet hit his skin. He couldn't see Allen's eyes under the white strands he was hiding behind. However, the silent tears rolling down the pale cheeks glittered in the sunlight.


There was one thing Lavi really respected Allen for and that was his perseverance. Even if he had cried that first afternoon of gravity, he didn't let it drag him down. The following days his companion continued in the same determined energy as before. He wouldn't give up, no matter how hard the earth's never-ending pull was on him. Even more: as soon as walking was starting to go better, he started practicing. Early in the morning Lavi would wake up to find his companion working out, trying to build up muscles. Not just his legs, but his arms too and later his wings. First as a human, then as a whole dragon. As days passed, crashing turned to flying and Allen's mood was getting better. It was clear that as he was getting used to gravity and training to overcome it, he was starting to feel less trapped and more free to move.

Lavi couldn't be happier when he felt their journey was starting to feel a little bit as light-hearted as before. He was starting to grow really fond of the boy and seeing Allen happy, made him feel warm and excited inside.

But even if his partner was training so hard, he hadn't expected the dragon to regain his strength so quickly. He couldn't help but feel surprised when Allen offered him a flight barely two weeks later.

"Are you sure, Al? Do you think you're ready to carry even more weight?"

The dragon showed its razor sharp teeth in a smile. The chip out of his fang was clearly visible, but Allen hadn't wanted to take the shard back when offered. "Such a tiny guy like you? I think I'll manage. Besides, it's time for me to repay you after carrying me so many times. We can at least try to make some distance too. Flying is faster than walking."

Lavi nodded, then made his way over to the reptile. He remembered how fearful he'd been before. Now it didn't seem strange at all to get so close to the dragon. Everything about it radiated 'Allen'. The scales reminded him of the soft white hair. The silver eyes were as bright as the boy's. Even if he was in a different body, nothing about his companion had really changed.

The horns felt rough but sturdy in his hands when he made himself comfortable on Allen's neck. Strong muscles shifted under the hard scales as the giant creature rose its face to the sky, where thousands of stars shone down on them. Then wings, white as the moon floating between them, unfolded and caught the air.

A heavy jolt of gravity pushed him against the strong neck as the dragon under him rose, raising them to the sky. Soon they passed the tips of the trees, then rose over the world like an eagle.

It may not have been as steady as the other time they had flown, but Allen still seemed in his element. The elegant dragon body swirled through the air as the wings pushed them ever higher, ever closer to the stars. The scales under him seemed to light up in the silver light of night. When Allen looked like this, it wasn't hard to believe he belonged up there too.

"The view is still beautiful," Lavi sighed as he stared at the landscape around them.

"It will be even better if we expend it further." As to underline his words, the wings accelerated, carrying them even higher.

The cold night air bit in his cheeks. With just silent stars so far above them and the earth so far below, it almost felt like they were alone in the world. Lavi let the horns go and laid down on the hard scales, enjoying the heat radiating off them and filling his chest.

He had to admit he hadn't thought they'd ever fly like this again. Now that they were finally doing so, he was starting to realize how much he had looked forward to it.

"I can understand why flying would be important to you," he told Allen as he turned his head to the side to steal a glance of the earth. It was still getting further away from them. He wondered how much higher they would be able to go. But even so far, the stars didn't look any different. For a moment he felt guilty for feeling relieved that Allen couldn't return. He didn't think he would be able to accept it if his companion would go so far away from him.

"It feels awesome, doesn't it?" Allen agreed softly.

A shiver of cold ran over his spine. The air was getting thinner too. His breath was coming out in clouds: many, short lived clouds, multiplying as Allen kept on climbing. The trees had turned into a dark blur now. A few tiny lights, even smaller than some stars, spread out under their view now. People, with fires, Lavi realized. The thought of warmth made him lean closer to his partner to steal some more of the dragon's heat.

"It's like the whole world doesn't really matter anymore," Lavi whispered a little breathlessly. "I feel like we're the only ones here. It's so silent."

It was. He didn't think he'd ever experienced such a quiet night before. The regular flap of the giant reptile wings were the only sound under the moonlight.

"Yes, there aren't many living beings that go here. There isn't much you can find so high. But it makes me feel closest to home. It helps me clear my mind." Allen turned his head, looking at Lavi with one silver eye, that reflected the stars brilliantly. "I've been wanting to share this with you. Though it might not mean anything to you."
Lavi grinned, even though his limps felt ready to freeze off. "It means a lot to me, Al. It's awesome."

Allen turned his head back up, setting more force behind his wings. They were so high now they didn't seem to be moving any further from the earth anymore.

"But… You know," he was having real trouble forcing the words out by now. A fog, dark like the air surrounding them, was starting to swirl into his mind. "Maybe… this is… high enough…"

Immediately the dragon leveled himself. For a moment they floated between the black nothingness, the lights of heaven the only coordination points for up and down. Allen's breathing had gotten heavy too. White trails of mist traveled through the darkness in front of his nostrils.

Slowly the wings turned and with a gentle drift, they started to descend. Lavi felt almost sorry as he felt gravity pull them back down. He didn't want this moment to end. Somehow it did feel really magical up here. An unexpected desire to spread wings of his own and fly off to the stars welled up inside of him. Was that what Allen was feeling too?

It got just a little warmer and the air just a little thicker. Allen didn't seem in a hurry to go back down either. He let them float through the night like a lantern, drifting on the winds that changed with every altitude.

"I can only go just a bit higher than that myself." Allen's words broke the silence softly. "After that, I get trouble to breathe too. Even a creature with wings has its limits. That's how it was always meant to be from the start."

Lavi felt kind of empty at those words. He knew they were true. "That's what the stars are for. If they wouldn't be unreachable, nobody would dream of doing so."

"I guess so." There weren't any raw emotions in the boys voice anymore. Just a dull acceptance.

"But what you did was amazing, Al. I've always been the type of guy who doesn't see any use into dreaming about something you can't get anyway, but tonight, you actually made me do it. I actually thought we might be able to reach the stars somehow."

A deep sigh breezed through the dragon's body. "I'm glad you liked it as much as I did, Lavi."

For a moment they floated in silence. The icy wind ruffled his red hair, though Allen didn't even seem to feel it. Those scales must be very warm. He shivered, wishing he could breathe flames as well.

It didn't surpass the dragon. "Are you cold?"

He really didn't want to go down yet, but his body was telling him otherwise. It would be useless to lie. "Yeah, just a little."

"Shall I warm you up?"

The tone in his companion's voice made him suspicious. "I'm not so sure I want to say yes to that."
Allen laughed in short rumbles. "Smart choice. I promise it will be harmless though. I'll keep a good eye on you and I won't go too close to the ground."

He'd been right. Allen was planning something rough.

"I'm not sure, Al. I'm not that used to flying yet."

"That's exactly why! I'll show you what some real flying is like. With the right amount of trust, you'll love it. I promise to go easy on you."

It did sound kind of exciting. "Alright then."

"Grab my horns and hold on real tight. Push the rest of your body as close to me as you can. Use your knees to stay on my neck."

He didn't really like the sound of that, but Allen didn't notice. Before the redhead had had the time to mentally prepare himself, the wings folded in and the world tilted. Allen duck his head towards the earth and curled his tail up in a perfect dive. Lavi felt his heart slip to his throat with the movement. Then gravity got hold on them and sent his stomach the other way. With a terrified scream he pressed his knees into the scales so roughly he couldn't imagine it would feel comfortable for the dragon. The slight breeze turned to a heavy storm around them as they made more and more speed. His stomach seemed to end up somewhere in his feet. The serpent body under him turned lazily and suddenly the stars passed under him, then it was all dark again. His arms felt like they were going to get ripped off. His legs hurt from the pressure he was putting on them. He'd never fallen this long before. Their speed seemed to keep building up. His brain was starting to lose its coordination of what was where, except for the strong force still pulling them down relentlessly. He was starting to feel really sick. It was like all his organs were pushed out of their normal place inside his body.

Then, so sudden it possibly made him even more dizzy, they started slowing down. Slowly, bit by bit, wings unfolded. First vertically, then Allen pulled up controllably, converting their downward energy to forward little by little. When they leveled back to horizontal Lavi could feel his organs slide back in place slowly. His arms were trembling so hard that the tremors went all the way to his chest. However, if he'd thought that was all he'd been wrong.

They were going much faster now and Allen was making even more speed with his wings. Before Lavi could say anything the dragon's head jolted up, taking the rest with him. Strong centripetal forces pushed him against his companion's neck as they completed a perfect looping, then another smaller one.

Finally the wings stopped flapping and spread out horizontally again. Allen seemed done. They had gone back to drifting on the air lazily.

However, it wasn't nearly as relaxing as earlier. Lavi's fingers were cramped around the horns. His breath seemed almost in synch with his heartbeat. Sweat trickled over his back, making him even colder than before. So much for warming him up.

"Lavi, are you okay?"

The redhead pried his hands free from the horns, then let himself fall back on the scaly neck. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"I'm sorry. I might have overdone it a little with those loopings."

"A little?"

"Sorry." He really did sound regretful.

Lavi took a moment to breathe and let his body calm down. Then he cracked a smile. "It's okay." A rush of excitement was starting to flow in now that the fear was starting to subside. "It was pretty fun actually. I just think I need to get used to it."

The dragon hummed in satisfaction. "I told you so. Don't worry. I'll let you get used to it soon enough. We should go flying more often anyway."

"Yeah, we should."

Adrenaline sharpened his sight, making the view even better. They had gotten a lot closer to the earth. Individual shapes could be made out again, shining grey under them. A new rush of excitement flowed through him when he remembered their height earlier and suddenly realized he'd seen something really important.

"You know, Al, you've just helped me solve one of life's biggest mysteries."

The dragon sounded really surprised when he answered. "I did?"

"Yeah!" He pushed himself back and looked all the way to the horizon. "Even if it was so little it was barely visible, I saw the surface was bent when we were up there. Do you know what that means? The earth's round!"

Unexpectedly the dragon began to laugh. He could feel the rumbles travel through his body. "You didn't know that already?"

The question surprised Lavi. "Of course not. How should I know? It's been a discussion between people for ages."

"The earth's round, Lavi," Allen promised nicely. "It's round and floats in space between all the stars. There it turns slowly, so we stars can look at all the places it has."

Of course, a star would know so much! How couldn't he ever have thought of that before? "The earth turns! So, is that the reason the stars travel over the sky at night?"
Allen hummed shortly in agreement.

"So, what's the middle point of the universe? I've read so many books, but nobody seems to really know for sure."
Allen turned his wings a little, so they made a lazy bent in the air. "Of course they wouldn't, I wouldn't even know. The universe is gigantic. Everything moves around each other. Most of them circle, if you can really call it that. The moon around the earth, the earth and other planets around the sun and the sun itself travels too. The universe is a gigantic system. Nobody would be able to see the other side of it, even we stars."

"Incredible." Lavi sighed as he lowered himself again, feeling like his mind was ready to explode. "I didn't think it would all be so big. It's incredible though. That we're the only place with the sun and the earth." He jolted back up in realization. "Or are we?!"

Allen lifted his head to the sky. "Who knows? The sun is just a star like all the others. But I don't remember seeing another planet with life. That's why most stars look this way. It's the most interesting. Maybe this place is some kind of a middle point after all."

The sun, a star. Well, at least that question was also answered by that. "I can't believe there are still so many secrets out there while we haven't even discovered everything about the earth yet."

Allen hummed as he turned slowly while floating down.

The sound of water breaking made Lavi look back down. They were just above a lake. Allen's reptile claws were drifting through the water in their flight, slowly going deeper and deeper.

Lavi smiled uncomfortably. "Al?"

In response the dragon shifted his wings and let them sink in completely. The cold made Lavi gasp for air as the liquid soaked his clothes.

"Al, I thought you were going to warm me up!"

The dragon folded his wings in to continue swimming like a giant, white sea serpent. "I already did that. You'll survive. It's not nearly as cold here as up there."

He was right, but still the sudden contact with water hadn't been comfortable. Luckily his body was adapting soon.

"Swimming is great," Allen mused softly. "Inside the water is the only place where gravity isn't as prominent as everywhere else. Here I don't have to listen to it necessarily. It's a lot like how it used to be."

"I get that. But would you warn me next time you want to take a swim, please?"

The lake was very big. He could barely see the other side, even if Allen was going a lot faster than a swimming human ever could.

"Sorry, I will next time," Allen promised. "So, what about I tell you to hold your breath now? We're going to take a dive."

For the first time that day the dragon actually offered him enough time to prepare. Lavi drank in air eagerly, trying to store as much as he could. Then, when his companion was sure he was ready, they dove under.

Lavi had expected it to be pitch black out here. But the moon was sending its rays deep into the lake. The water was incredibly clear. The fish swam around them merrily, though the dragon seemed to scare them and they wouldn't come up close. Allen cut through the water like he was made for it. If he hadn't seen the dragon fly before, he would definitely have thought the reptile was a sea serpent instead. With this speed the underwater life was astounding.

Soon enough Allen went back up to grab some air. They took a moment to store up more oxygen, then Lavi agreed to diving even more when his companion offered it.

Something about the way the stars shone in the water made it all magical. Tiny creatures, he hadn't ever really payed attention to before, seemed to light up in the silver rays. Fish scales glittered as the creatures moved. The deeper they went, the bigger some life forms were getting and Allen seemed determined to go as deep as they could. He made their diving sessions longer every time, the arcs to the depths were starting to get straighter too.

However, at some point the dragon stocked on its way down. It's head floated back up, apparently alerted by something. For a moment Lavi looked around in confusion. The water had gotten very dark here. Especially in front of them. It took him a while to realize it wasn't just dark.

It was the shadow of a thing.

His blood ran cold when something, five times bigger than the dragon he already considered as gigantic, moved slowly. The creature's body parts were hard to make out with the lack of light, but he was pretty sure that what moved in had to be its head.

Allen swirled around in the water. He swam back and forth slowly, seemingly trying to catch a glimpse of the other creature, that seemed to take him in as well. Lavi fastened his grip when Allen curled his body and starting swimming towards the shadow. He tried to tell the reptile not to do it, but his breath was coming out in meaningless, grey bubbles.

They made a bent and slowly, but surely, the dragon made a circle around the giant thing watching them. Now, a bit closer, Lavi thought he could see something like flippers. However, he couldn't be sure, as they were so big that they extended beyond the limited sight the far away moon offered them.

Finally Allen had had enough. He stared at the giant creature one more time, then made some distance. The shadow shifted. The head moved away. Then something else moved in. A giant structure forced itself down next to them, creating such a rapid storm of water that even Allen was caught by surprise. As the creature moved away, they were flushed away by the water movement it was making.

Lavi made sure he didn't lose Allen in streams pulling at them as they tumbled through the lake. He was really starting to run out of air. He would never be able to get up quickly enough by himself. It was clear his companion had much bigger lungs too. With the interesting creature from before his partner seemed to have forgotten the need of oxygen of his human passenger.

When the danger of getting pulled apart finally subsided enough, Lavi let go of one of the horns and used his hand to tap Allen's head. As the dragon didn't respond immediately, he wasn't sure he had understood. However, his lungs were ready to burst. The situation was getting really tight now. So he tapped again, harder this time, then let go and started swimming upwards as fast as he could, hoping Allen would somehow get the hint.

Shock traveled through his body and made him drop the last of air he'd still had saved in his lungs when something grabbed his ankle. One half of his mind screamed after the bubbles rapidly wriggling their way towards the surface, the other part freaked out about the thing pulling him down, even further from the air he needed.

Where the heck was Allen?

But there he was. A pale human face popped up in front of him as the boy pulled him even further down to the same depth. The white hair was dancing around it like a halo, looking fluffy and as free as the whiskers in his dragon form. His eyes were shining brightly. His body seemed to glow softly, even with the little light down there.

No, this wasn't the moment to play. His whole body was burning in agony, yelling at him that everything was ready to break apart. His mind wasn't going to last forever. The first fog clouds were already invading it. With Allen in front of him like a big shining star, it wasn't much different from when they had gone too high and the air had just started to dissipate around them.

With a last effort he moved his hand, signing upwards. Hoping his panicked expression would somehow make clear how serious the problem was.

However, Allen just smiled. He moved inwards, so close that Lavi closed his eye in reflex. Something soft touched his lips. It brushed past them gently before softly, but clearly willing them to open. As Lavi opened his mouth he could feel a hand touch the back of his head and pushing them even closer. A second later a gust of air breezed through his throat, filling up his lungs and overflowing them with the oxygen they had been wishing for. Lavi drank Allen's breath in eagerly. An arm wrapped around his chest and pushed, making him lose it again through his nose, so another gust of air could fill it afterwards.

A dragon's lungs really were much bigger than a human's.

Even if his body still begged him to go up, his mind cleared and the strong need lessened. He felt himself melt away in the moment. His arms traveled to the boy in front of him and wrapped themselves around the delicate waist, pulling it closer. For a moment there wasn't any transition of air anymore, but their tongues meeting each other for the first time in a curious but playful manner. The hand behind Lavi's head curled its fingers so they brushed through his hair. The arm around his waist tightened almost synchronically to his own.

Then, like a drop breaking the surface, Allen suddenly pulled himself free of their embrace. He was blushing a little, but his eyes were sparkling even brighter than normally. His skin had turned to an almost eye blindingly white. He was really sure it wasn't just from reflection now anymore.

A second later the human boy vanished, a big dragon taking his place. Lavi grabbed the horns the moment they moved close to him, and together they shot back up. On their way to the surface, he couldn't help but suddenly wonder what had made him in such a hurry upwards before.

Allen broke the surface with much more force than earlier. Wings expanded and a moment later they caught them in the air, dragging the last bit of the tail out of the water too.

It was clear the wetness and all the exercise were starting to tire Allen out by now, but he didn't seem ready to rest just yet. He took them up into the sky again, leaving the lake behind so far that Lavi could finally see all shores properly. A stunning orange light was starting to creep over the landscape by now. Silver moonlight was starting to fade as the sun announced its presence. The leaves under them colored golden in the rays. The clouds above them purple.

Allen set course to the most brilliant spectacle of colors: the surface of the sea. The dragon soared over the landscape, leaving a gigantic, even bigger than the lake creature from before, shadow gliding over the earth. The beat of wings seemed to awaken the first birds, who started chirping in surprise.

They landed on a mighty, pointy cliff. Allen curled his body around it, his head just sticking out over the top. They stared at the horizon changing colors so brightly, that it was almost impossible to imagine that just a moment ago grey had been the only taint in sight.

"It really is beautiful, isn't it, Al?"

"Yes, it is," Allen's voice was soft. He sounded a little confused, as if his mind had trouble processing the new experiences.

Finally the dragon flew back up, but just to find a resting spot. They drifted on the breeze until they could settle down on a small, high plateau, covered with just as many colors as the sky.

Before Lavi could do anything, the body under him suddenly disappeared. He yelped as he hit the ground. Allen scrambled back a little further, apologizing, then turned back to a dragon.

For a moment he couldn't understand why his companion even had taken the effort to transform, but understanding dawned soon when the enormous reptile suddenly threw itself on the flowers and started rolling and scrubbing in them like a dog who had just been let out for the first time in days.

Laughter escaped his mouth as he stared at his companion, fooling around so roughly that petals and pollen filled the air and danced into his face.

As sudden as Allen had started it, he also ended it. The dragon body disappeared, leaving just a human boy between the broken stems. Flowers were scattered all over his hair. The laugh he sent Lavi was almost ecstatic.

Unable to control his own happy feelings, Lavi broke into a run, then dove to the ground next to his partner. He rolled a little lazily on his spot between the plants, then turned to Allen to return the smile.

For a moment they just laughed like fools, before Allen's eyes traveled upwards, gaining a little nostalgic glim. "Look, it's the morning star."

Lavi followed his gaze, staring at the little speck too. It was barely visible in the light that flooded it from the east. The blackness around it was making place for blue. "Yeah, so sad it's all alone up there, while we're here having fun between the flowers."

He met Allen's eyes with his own. The boy's sadness seemed to be melting away just as soon as it had come up.

To make sure the moment wouldn't get awkward, Lavi grinned and brushed a hand through Allen's white hair, smearing the yellow pollen even more into it. "By the way, I like your new hairdo, Al. You should consider getting it more often."

Allen chuckled. "I'll think of it." Then he closed his eyes. A somewhat peaceful expression spread out on the pale face. One Lavi hadn't seen on it before.

Lavi stared at it for a while, until he realized the boy's breath had gone to a steady and calm rhythm. Flying around so much must have made his companion tired.

And not just him.

Lavi yawned and let his eye drift shut slowly. They could just as well take a nap here. After all, with a dragon at his side, he would be safe anywhere. With the rush of the sea on the background fusing with the sound of Allen's breath, his mind slowly faded away to repeat their flight from before. In his dreams, Allen's lips felt so incredibly soft, he wished the boy had never taken him back to the surface again.