Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.


It was nearly dawn when Phantom returned to the chambers of his Leafre hideout. The room was pitch black, but Phantom paid no heed and walked towards an arm chair. With a wave of his hand, and a little bit of fire magic, the room was engulfed in a warm orange glow. A small fire lit up the chamber, just barely, casting long shadows across Phantom's heavy-lidded eyes. He gently plucked Skaia from his inner pocket and set it on his gloved palm, watching the facets of the jewel twinkle and gleam under the light.

"It's been a long day, Aria." Phantom whispered to the air. The only reply he received was the soft crackling and popping sounds of firewood. The thief stared into the pits of the flames, losing himself within their tantalizing dance. He was reminded of the event that had occurred a few hours before in an isolated shack within the Minar forest. It was a momentous decision for Phantom – to approach someone for help. He was so secluded from any interactions; it took him quite a while before he could find his voice. Even so, he was truly surprised that the mage had accepted his offer.

From a card he threw, the glance the mage took, and the sentences they shared; a mutual agreement was in place.

"He must think of me as a madman. A madman, Aria! Just think! Calling me his 'friend'," Phantom exaggerated his gestures, before flopping against the cushioned chair. He snorted and rested his weight against the velvet arm. "He must be crazy. You should've seen the look in his eyes. He thinks he understands me. Bah!" Phantom recalled those clear piercing blue eyes of Freud's. It reflected clarity, intelligence and something Phantom could not think of. But he was a fool to think that he could even comprehend Phantom's reason for joining in just two minutes of interaction.

"I feel that the world's gone insane Aria. It's moving far too fast for my liking, too much quick assumptions and judgements." Phantom cradled the jewel within his cupped hands. He tucked Skaia back into the hidden pocket behind his coat.

"I guess I should return to that shack tomorrow morning. That poor mage might get lost trying to find me in this expanse." He pulled his cloak over his shoulders and curled up against the armchair, too tired to return to his bed. "Good night Aria. Sweet dreams."


Thump.

"Let me sleep for a bit more, Master Raven."

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Phantom groaned and instinctively lifted his arm above his head, expecting a beating from his master for slacking off during lessons. But instead, his hand knocked against his exotic hat and it toppled to the ground. Phantom woke up from the clattering sounds from the trinkets on his hat clashing against each other. That was when he heard it…

A dragon's roar!

"I… believe we'll be safe here, Aria. This cave should be impervious to any attacks from wild beasts." Phantom scuttled upright, picking his hat from the floor and returning it to its rightful place on the blonde's head.

"Phantom!"

A voice echoed from outside. "Freud?" 'How is it possible for him to find me?' Phantom tilted his head and took a tentative step forward. He then remembered the dragon lurking beyond those doors. "You fool!" The thief broke into a run and raced towards the exit.

'Did he not hear the dragon?'

Phantom pulled open the doors and sped down the winding passageway that concealed his safe house from unwanted visitors. When he reached the end of the passage, he skidded to a halt and his jaw dropped. A glorious, yet intimidating, dragon stood behind Freud, towering above the mage. Its massive wings were outstretched, making it seem bigger than it already was.

"YOU IDIOT!" Phantom yelled, running towards the unarmed mage and standing in between him and the dragon. "Get inside! I'll take care of this." Phantom brandished his cane outwards, before willing it to transform into a long sword. A sudden gust of wind blew from behind Phantom, and tousled his hair slightly, but the thief kept his intense glare on the dragon. Long and twisted golden horns protruded from its head – one broken, the other sharp and deadly. Phantom swallowed; slightly unnerved. The dragon could easily gut him with that horn like a hunter and his prey. A glowing insignia could be seen on the dragon's crest, in between his horns. Phantom swore he saw that same symbol somewhere before, but currently; he was not in the mood to recall where.

'There's no way I can kill this dragon. Its hide looks too thick. But I should buy some time to get this idiot to safety. I can't let him die. He's my only hope for my revenge.'

The dragon reared up on its hind legs before letting out a roar. Phantom resisted the urge to block his ears from the clamour. After his ears have stopped ringing, the taller man could hear a faint chuckle from behind him.

"That's enough," The mage said.

The dragon folded his wings and returned to all fours. The ground shook beneath Phantom from the impact.

"Is this hatchling the new member? He could use a little lesson on proper etiquette."

Phantom nearly dropped his weapon. "T-the dragon talks!" The thief turned around to face the mage, a look of pure disbelief on his face. Then Phantom remembered where he had seen that same symbol before! It was etched in light blue embroidery on Freud's robes. 'The dragon is his!' Phantom guessed, but he could not fathom where Freud had found this beast, nor how did he convince the dragon from eating him.

The beast let out a puff of smoke before revealing a row of razor sharp teeth. Phantom could almost imagine that the being in front of him was smiling. Or determined to swallow the thief whole.

"Indeed I do. Now will you put away your sharp stick? You're most likely going to poke your own eye out first before you can even manage to injure me." The dragon snorted before lowering its massive bulk to lie on floor.

"Phantom, I would like you to meet an important member of the team. This is Afrien, the King of Onyx dragons."

Afrien turned his head to take a good look at Phantom; his golden iris peeking beneath scaly eyelids. Phantom tucked his cane into a loop on his belt. Then he heard something, a faint whisper of leaves. Phantom has lived in this area for a fairly long time. He could tell if something was out of place immediately. The commotion before had distracted him. But once everything had calmed down, he could see it clearly.

"Who else did you bring, Freud?" Phantom dragged the mage's name. His hand instinctively reached to his waist to rest on the red jewel of his cane. He was surrounded by three other people. He could see the shifts in the shadows of the trees. The rising sun bathed the clearing in bright light, accenting the shadows around him.

Phantom prepared to escape by using shroud walk, but found that he could not do so. Someone was blocking his abilities. One by one, the figures made themselves apparent. The first was a tanned woman, intimidating and cold.

"You called us here Freud. What is it? It better be important to pull me from my training." Her harsh voice barked.

"I agree, Freud. I have to return to my kingdom soon. It was not an easy passage here. Especially with such… vague instructions. Thankfully Slyvidia was able to navigate these forests." A proud and haughty elfin woman stood next to Aran, behind her, a regal winged unicorn stood, pawing the ground impatiently. "She's not exactly happy to leave Elluel at such short notice. I'm surprised that that person over there did not notice our landing. Too busy having a staring competition with Afrien?" The elf said in a melodious voice, while gesturing towards Phantom.

"Perhaps. I think if I haven't intervened, someone would be hurt. Certainly wouldn't want any new recruits to get injured on his first day now, do we Mercedes?" Freud laughs softly.

"You haven't told us the reason for this meeting." Mercedes walked towards Slyvidia, and proceeded to calm her friend down.

"Fear not, I believe Freud will explain in due time." This time, a silver-haired man teleported to stand beside Afrien. The man scrutinised Phantom for a moment, before frowning slightly. Phantom caught his gaze and returned an equally fierce glare. He would not allow anyone to look down on him, not even some pompous mage.

"No worries, Luminous. I will." Freud stood in the middle of the clearing, carefully ushering Phantom to stand beside Luminous.

"Today, I have gathered each and every one of you to this place. All of you offered your services to aid against the tyranny of the being known as the Black Mage. Although your choice may be made under different circumstances…" Freud glanced at Phantom. "I believe that our common goal will hold us together." Freud paced slowly. He seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, as if choosing the best words for the most convincing argument.

"For months now we have been on the defensive and we have suffered casualties. However, I truly believe that from the depths of despair, we can catch the Black Mage's army off-guard and strike where it matters. I believe that we are ready to take the Black Mage head on." Freud extended his arms to his small audience. He swept his gaze from Luminous, then to Phantom, followed by Mercedes and finally, Aran.

"Would you join me on this endeavour?"


As promised, less than 24 hours after my last exam, I have updated. I'm having a little trouble writing Aran's and Luminous's dialogue, so I hope you'll forgive me for some inaccuracies. Explanation for certain headcanons is on my profile page, if there's a need for clarifications. Once again, it's nearly 2am... So grammatical mistakes are aplenty.