Part Two #11 - End – Amelioration

A/N

I apologise for the long absence. I have found myself rather preoccupied with other things, not to mention another work I recently did and published, and I haven't been able to finally write what I wanted to in this chapter due to a lack of many things, including undivided attention.

Well, in other news, I turned eighteen today. That happened.

I hope you enjoy this chapter I worked rather intensely on. It was incredibly hard trying to get a certain part of this right, specifically because it was very hard to emulate personalities so situationally. You might pick the scene.

As Sym laid on Praze's bed, exhausted, she found herself filled with a sudden lethargic happiness. She wasn't sure exactly why, but she knew that her flight with Viri had certainly contributed to the feeling. After being cooped up inside the Decree's base for so long, cooped up inside her human body, she had found herself longing for the feel of a breeze on her scales. So when she finally felt it, it certainly soothed her. Everything seemed to be going well, everything seemed to have changed. Her recent life before had been monotonous, boring, and uneventful. Occasionally, Hannah was able to bring her out of her laziness and into momentary enjoyment, but just like the languishing snow it never lasted long. Her depression would have been a constant reminder for the rest of her life.

That reality was all Sym could ever think of for her future. That was until she found the part of her that had sundered so long ago. She couldn't deny that when she saw Praze again for the first time, she almost completely collapsed, wanting to just lay in his embrace and cry away the years of pain. But she had always been the stronger one, and it was evident she still needed to be when he was the one that had broken down in front of her on that fateful night. They had always been together, always a part of each other ever since they both broke the constricting walls of the egg they had shared. Although the egg had been larger than usual, it hadn't been large enough for the two of them and made it several times harder for them to break their shell. Which, of course, was what caused their shared innate claustrophobia.

Rolling over from her back to her stomach, Sym couldn't keep herself from smiling. She couldn't stop thinking about finally being able to actually talk to him again, share her thoughts, feelings, concerns, ideas, fly with him, spar with him, laugh with him. But her smile soon faded when she realised something else, and she knew she would have to deal with it. In due time, she thought, finding herself filled with shame. Can I really take that back, even if I didn't truly mean it? After a few moments of her sitting there in her thoughts, she noticed a light knock at the door.

"Sym? It's me, can I come in?" a voice asked, and Sym recognised it to be Viri's.

"Go ahead," she replied, her voice tired but carrying, and the door opened to the red-orange glow of the late afternoon. It was almost sunset, and the colour almost looked like fire, but even still the glow could not compare to the deep blood-red of the eyes it reflected on. Viri closed the door after himself and turned to see Sym now slumped on the couch. "So, to what event do I owe the pleasure of a second visit?" she asked, but before he could answer she held her hand up to stop him. "Wait, let me guess, the boat has finally arrived?"

"Yes, actually, good guess," he replied with a smile. "Silva and Ace went to greet them at an old port where we had cast off; somewhere they wouldn't cause a scene. Around here, it's kind of a big thing to have more Night Furies here, which is why we couldn't fly around the whole island earlier."

"That makes sense... how many Night Furies are the general populace aware of?" Sym then asked, and Viri had to think for a moment.

"Well, just Silva and Ace," he replied. "In the three years he's been here, Praze hasn't once gone inside the Village, with the only exceptions being when it's late at night and not a soul to be seen and when we hold a meeting in the chief's house, of which he doesn't even turn up half the time. He's not exactly required to be there, and when he doesn't see a need to be then he won't involve himself with others."

"Well, obviously," Sym murmured. "Normally I would criticise when people tell me more than I asked for, but you were helpfully informative so I'll let it slide," she added, and Viri could only raise his brow to that.

"You two are so similar, which makes sense, but to the extent I've observed – it's incredible..." he murmured, and Sym could only cock her head to the side in confusion.

"How so?" she asked, and he laughed.

"Similar words, too," he muttered with a smile. "Anyway, I'm sure you'll find out in due time, but I can let you in on some things; you physically look very similar, and you both have incredible eyes."

"Not so bad yourself, or any Night Fury for that matter. But, anyway, what were you meaning to tell me about the ship's arrival?" she asked.

"Oh, well, I was just letting you know because I think Claire's gonna come here and join you while we sort things out in the Village," he told her. "You're alright with that?"

"Of course. It's not exactly my home."

"Well, alright then," he began with a smile, "I'll take my leave now." And with that, he slowly faded into a blue haze, leaving her alone in her thoughts. She was particularly interested in some of the things Viri had told her not only just then, but earlier during their flight. A smile appeared on her face, and her eyes narrowed as they took on a sadistic glow. Let's rend the Decree from existence.

"For those of you who don't know, I am the chief over this island, and Toothless is the Alpha. He and I both work together to maintain the peace between the dragons and humans here on Berq. I'm here right now to tell you all that a meeting will be held tonight where the main points of discussion will be a debrief of the rescue, as well as issues regarding our next moves, but for now, I'm certain you are all tired are want to rest. So, we have arranged accommodation for all of you which Toothless will direct you to once I leave, as I am currently held up in other matters. Apart from that, I hope to see you all tonight, and I'll have someone come for you all when it's time. Please, enjoy your stay."

With that, Hiccup left them all, the three Night Furies, Lilith, Amaré, and Claire, with Shiro in his human form, Yoshino, and Arc, in the small clearing by the shore. They were left with Toothless and Ace, who smiled at the new guests. "Well, you heard him. Yoshino, Arc, I'm sure you two are just going to stay on the boat for now so that just leaves you four," Toothless said, looking at Shiro, Lilith, Claire, and Amaré.

"Then we'll take our leave and see you at the meeting," Arc said, tugging an exhausted-looking, barely awake Yoshino behind her as the two disappeared below the deck of their ship.

"Alright, so, you all have several options, but there are rules. Currently, Ace and I are both the only Night Furies publicly known on Berq and having more will only cause a reaction from the citizens," Toothless began, receiving nods from all but Amaré, who didn't really get it. "We-" Toothless started but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Viri beside him.

"Oh, I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" he asked, seeing his slightly annoyed face.

"I was only just getting started, but what do you want?" Toothless asked.

"I was just gonna take Claire now like we arranged earlier," he told him, and Toothless nodded as Viri turned to his youngest brother. "Currently, while we're waiting for Praze and Hannah to return, we've arranged for you to stay at Praze's house with Sym. That sound good?" he asked, and the small Night Fury nodded.

"I'm interested in looking at what these humans live in, and if it's Praze's house it's gotta be far away from any unwanted disturbances," Claire murmured and Viri could only laugh.

"Right you are," he replied as Shiro spoke up.

"They're not back yet? What happened?" he asked.

"I'll discuss it all tonight, but they're both fine," Viri replied. "Anyway, let's be off, Claire," he added, leaning down to hold out his hand. Claire responded by placing the end of his tail in it, and after a second the two of them vanished.

"Well, he's gotten quite good at that," Shiro commented, turning back to Toothless. "As you were saying?"

"Anyway, we've arranged accommodation away from everything, dragons and humans alike," Toothless continued. "The only condition for staying here is that you remain unknown to the humans living here, but's up to your own discretion as to whether or not you make yourself known to other dragons."

"Sounds reasonable enough," Shiro replied, rubbing his chin. "I take it that we can visit the Village in our human forms, right?" he asked, and Toothless nodded.

"You just want to collect information, don't you?" Lilith asked, rolling her eyes. Shiro smiled cheekily in reply.

"Naturally."

"Anyway," Toothless continued. "That just about wraps up all I've needed to inform you about. But, only officially. In fact, I would like to speak to you both before tonight's meeting – if you could spare the time? I know it's a lot to ask, considering you've both just returned, but I feel this is something I should discuss with you before Praze returns."

"This concerns him?" Lilith asked, and Toothless nodded.

"I met him nearly four years ago, and I thought you might want to hear of those four years I've had to get to know him," he replied. "I wouldn't be saying this if Praze were normal, either. Sometimes he does concern me, but I'm sure it can only get better from here."

After listening to Toothless, Lilith eyed Shiro with a brow raised. "You don't want to, do you?" she asked, humour in her voice.

"I just really want to explore a bit!" Shiro exclaimed with a sigh.

Lilith then turned back to Toothless with a light smile. "Don't mind him, both he and I know that Praze is perfectly capable of independence, which is the reason for us not being so concerned all these years. Though... Shiro..." she trailed off, turning to him. "We will be joining them. I'm quite interested in what he's been doing, and we both know he won't tell us everything."

"Well, that is true... but I was kind of hoping to talk with Viri, too," Shiro replied.

"Of course, that is fine also, but you'll see him tonight anyway," Toothless told him. "May we?" he then asked, inviting them to follow him.

"Of course," Lilith replied before Shiro could say another word.

Hannah was speechless. Her gold eyes widened at the sight before her, until eventually she stopped and tilted her head as if she couldn't believe it.

"No way..." she murmured, and Praze raised a brow.

"What? Am I so amazing that you have no words?" he asked with a smirk, turning more to face her.

"No... it's just..." she began, not finding the words. "I just can't believe just how similar you are! If it weren't for your eyes, I would have thought you were Sym."

Do I really look that much like a female? Praze asked himself. "Well, we are twins. What else did you expect?"

"I know, I know," Hannah continued. "But you both seem to lack any profound physical features that would determine gender based on appearances only. You're both androgynous."

"Mhm, I suppose that's true," he said, but Hannah was no longer listening. She had tried to ignore them from the start, but the more she looked, the more she couldn't stop herself.

"Praze, are you alright?" she interrupted whatever he was saying, the question causing him to pause in confusion.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, uh..." she trailed off, unable to find a way to put it. "You're covered in wounds, and they still look quite fresh..." she trailed off again, staring at one wound in particular. It was a thin line that ran horizontal, right under his neck all the way across and despite it being the least recent, it was definitely the most interesting one.

"This is what happened to my body after I held in energy for too long," Praze told her. "I only had the chance to heal it last night, so of course the cuts are going to look fresh."

"What about that one," she murmured, and he instantly knew which she was talking about.

"Maybe another time," he replied. "For now, are you going to join me?"

She let out a sigh for a moment, before nodding. "Alright," she said, reaching for her scale. In a few moments, she was visible through the white light, and he could see her cracking her neck as it fully dissipated.

"Please remember to keep an eye on me," Praze began, unfurling his wings and stretching them out. "I have no idea whether or not my body will be able to manage flight just yet, but it won't hurt to test the boundaries and get a glimpse at what my recovery time will be like."

"After you, then," she replied with a smirk. "Just don't go injuring yourself; I'd like to get back to the others as soon as possible."

"Not in my plans, but I'm glad you're here at least," he told her, readying himself just as he realised how odd his words sounded. "In case something happens, of course."

"Got it the first time."

"Right," he murmured awkwardly, turning and taking a breath before jumping into the air, relieved to find his wings able to support him. He glimpsed behind him to find Hannah following, but was momentarily surprised to find how perfect her flying was before he turned back ahead of him and continued above the forest.

Like most Night Furies, Hannah's form was very lithe, but the beat of her wings was perfect. Her rhythm was flawless.

She could beat me easily in a race, he thought before he remembered something. He turned around again and motioned for her to come up next to him.

"How do you feel?" she asked, matching her rhythm to his perfectly. For a moment, Praze was surprised at the gold of her eyes, which were far more pronounced in her original form than in her human form, but he shook it off with a smile.

"Much better. Although I do have this stiff joint in between my wing and shoulder, and it's been irritating me for ages," he told her before remembering what else he wanted to tell her. "Also, Hannah, do you remember when we were on the ship and Toothless said something about no one being able to beat in combat? Well, at least, in human form?" he asked and she raised a brow.

"What made you think of that?" she asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking that I'd never be able to beat you in a race," he replied. "Anyway, what I was going to say is that he was making a joke. I mean, I might be good, but he was making it out that I was unable to be touched, which was just plain stupid."

"Is there a reason you needed to tell me this?"

"Did you not get enough sleep or something?"

"Shush. Why did you need to tell me?"

"Because you're the competitive type, and I know it would come up again eventually."

"Why not just tell me at that time, then?"

"Well, I don't know, does it matter?" He was waiting for her reply, but when he looked over to her, he noticed her staring at him. "What?"

"You're glowing blue," she told him, and the second she said it he could feel his head pound and he groaned at the pain, feeling the same feeling he got whenever he reconstructed. Oh no, he thought.

Hannah was about to say something more, but Praze suddenly disappeared from her view. She was shocked for a moment before she heard a loud smack and a crumbling sound, making her turn to the source of the sound, her eyes widening as she watched Praze's black form rolling down a cliff face and into the dense forest. "Praze!" she called out, rushing over to where she saw him enter the trees.

She broke through the canopy, landing and furling her wings as she looked for him. A groan alerted her to his whereabouts, and when she rushed over, she suddenly found herself filled with concern. "Praze!" she called out again. "What happened?" she asked, looking him over to check for his injuries. There was blood, which was worrying.

"I... don't know..." he groaned, rolling onto his legs and wincing at the pain. "It hurts... here..." he murmured, pointing with his tail to his back, just behind his left shoulder and just before his wing. "What does it look like?" he asked, breathing heavily.

"Lay down," she suddenly commanded, but he obliged. He was momentarily surprised when he felt her weight on him, and then he felt a slight sting as a weird sensation filled where he told her to look. After a few moments, it stopped and Praze began to feel the sensation of a wound regenerating. He then realised she must have cleaned out the wound for him, and he murmured his thanks. "You weren't going to close that wound by yourself," she told him. "Anyway, that was the only serious injury. The rest are superficial."

"Good..." he murmured, letting out a sigh.

"So... what was that?" she asked.

"I'd assume that was my body reacting to such strenuous activity for the first time in a while and for the first time without being charged up with a bunch of energy," he told her. "Bound to be a few mishaps, I just didn't think it would stuff around with my ability to reconstruct, though."

"So, what are your thoughts? Do you think you're able to reconstruct us back to Berq yet?"

He took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering. "Considering how I don't feel completely dead right now, I'd assume it's safe for me to use reconstruction. I'll just have to ease back into using my body like I used to."

"So you're pretty much just giving yourself a free ticket to be lazy?" she asked with a smirk.

"Precisely."

"Well, are we able to get back yet? It's starting to get dark, and I'd assume they're going to hold a debriefing tonight, too," she told him. "I don't want to miss that; I need to know everything if we're to continue."

"Continue what?" Praze asked, confused before she looked at him.

"To destroy the Decree at the heart... what Sym and I have just started to do before we got caught snooping around in their base," she replied. "But... we found out the name of the one in charge of the whole operation."

Praze's eyes widened slightly when he heard those words, curiosity taking over. "Which would be?"

"N'vara. Now we have a target..." she trailed off with a smile. "If it weren't for him and his knowledge of us, the whole operation would fall apart. He's the charismatic leader of the Decree that can turn anyone, even if they have to negative experience against Night Furies, into devout followers. If we take down him..."

"... the Decree is done for, right?" Praze finished for her, and she smiled.

"Yep. Anyway, are you going to get us to Berq now?" she then asked, and he nodded.

"Alright. Change back into human form and I'll put us in my house," he told her as he oriented, feeling a relief that nothing bad happened when he did so. He looked up to Hannah, who had already oriented also, and held out his hand. "Ready when you are."

She gave him a momentary smile before her expression changed to a more serious and concerned look. "Are you sure you're okay to go yet? Even if you get us back, I don't want you to die when we get there," she said, and he smiled in reply.

"I'm fine, don't worry," he told her, and she nodded as she took his hand. "Let's go, then."

Far away from the island that is Berq, a large port town's lights shone through the darkness of night, cobbled streets desert. The large ruckus of the town's famous tavern inn, the Tabibito, could be heard during the late hours as multitudinous travellers from abroad came and drank their fill of alcohol whilst laughing along to the night's entertainment. That night there was a musical jester, who comedically sang tales that wooed the drunken audience and earned themselves a hefty sum. Not only from the audience but from the innkeeper who profited from the constant patronage of customers, kept there by the performer's thespian works.

An effective ploy.

A seemingly young man, dressed in black, leant on the wall in a darkened corner with the brown woollen scarf he was wearing pulled up to hide the lower half of his face. Let's call him Black. His long-sleeved black shirt that went halfway down his thighs was held down at his waist by a leather belt, which held up his thin skin-tight black pants. He let out a little giggle at something the jester had sung as the whole tavern erupted in laughter, which he quickly staunched when he noticed three men stand up and head towards the innkeeper's counter to pay for their drinks. He silently left the corner he was in and walked out the door, turning to the left and walking into the alleyway slightly.

For a few moments, he waited. Then the sound of the door opening and talk from the three men caused him to turn, waiting for them to walk towards the alleyway. And just as they were, he stepped out, causing one of the men to bump into him.

"Whoa, look what we have here," the man who was bumped into said as Black stepped back, appearing to be frightened.

"I-I'm s-sorry, I-I didn't m-mean to!" he exclaimed, stepping backwards further into the alleyway.

"Now, now, we can't have people just running into me, can we boys?" the man said, following Black into the alleyway further as the two behind him sneered and chorused their agreement. "Oh, is that a woollen scarf?" he then asked, smirking.

"O-Oh, u-uh, yes – yes it is!" Black, who also had dark black hair, exclaimed in fear as he continued walking back. "My aunt m-made it for me... I-I... I don't want a-any trouble, please? I-I'm sorry?" he continued to stutter.

"Well, well, I suppose it would be only fair to hand it over to the lads you wrongfully ran in front of, as atonement, right boys?" the man continued, receiving further approval. "Sorry kid, bad things happen to those who do bad things. It's just karma."

After hearing this, Black smirked behind his scarf at the irony before he continued. "B-But this was a-a present-"

The larger man made his move. He moved forward, rather fast for how intoxicated he was, as he went for a large right swing at his face. At the last second, Black dodged the fist and punched right under the larger man's ribs, hitting both his diaphragm and his stomach, before moving out of the way and allowing him to fall on his knees and hurl up the contents of his stomach.

Black turned to the others, an apologetic look on his face as he moved forward and went down on his hands and knees in front of the other two. "I-I'm sorry for getting in y-your way, but it looks l-like your friend had too much to drink... maybe I could s-show you to the town infirmary to m-make amends?"

"Yeah right, kid!" the man on the right, as Black had predicted, ran forward and lifted his right leg, ready to kick his face in. Once more, at the last second, Black dodged the kick and moved his leg in a sweeping motion to hit the man's left ankle, causing him to begin to fall towards the ground. But before he did, in a swift motion, Black jumped up and grabbed the man's head and pulled it down to the ground with a sickening thud. He stood once more, turning to the final member as they pulled out a knife, anger all across his face.

"You don't know who you're messin' with, asshole!" he yelled, running towards Black with a sadistic grin on his face.

"Actually, I do," he replied as he stepped to the side, the knife stabbing into the air where he was only milliseconds ago, before he grabbed the man on his shoulder, manoeuvring his fingers in past the bone and squeezing gently. "You're Gilles de Rais, the serial killer who's been killing the children of this town," he said as he caught the man's now limp form. "Of course, I have no need to kill your friends, they don't even know who you really are."

"Wha... did you..." Gilles muttered, barely able to speak. Black dragged him by his collar over to where there was a small puddle from when it had rained earlier before lowering him, face down, into it. Black smiled as he watched bubbles begin to form on top of the water by the sides of Gilles' face, happy with the scene before him. To any outside observer, it would just seem like the three had all drunk too much and one was unfortunate enough to fall asleep in a puddle and drown himself. It had taken Black a while to perfectly set this up, including finding where the men were staying to know which way they'd walk.

After a few more moments, Black noticed the bubbles stop coming from the water and he smiled. "A mere few centimetres of water is all you need to drown," he snickered as he walked away into the night.

Meanwhile, Praze and Hannah stepped into the warmly-lit cabin of Praze's with smiles, glad to be back at Berq finally. Two sets of eyes turned onto them, ready to give their greetings, but before they could, Praze was on his hands and knees as a heavy cough cast blood onto the floor.

"Praze!" Hannah and Sym yelled congruently as the latter appeared by his side and put his arm over her shoulder, helping him over to a seat by the table.

"I-I'll be fine, I just overexerted-" but that was as far as he got before his face dropped onto the table and his arms grew limp.

"Well..." Claire trailed off, blinking slightly as Hannah and Sym turned to him.

"Oh, hey Claire," Hannah greeted him.

"Hey, Han. He's going to be alright, right?" he asked, his tail swishing slightly at the commotion.

"He'll be fine, he just needs to rest," Sym told him, picking Praze up and disappearing for a moment, returning a few moments later. "I've just laid him down, he'll probably be up in the morning."

"Oh, okay," Claire murmured as he walked back over to the fireplace where he had sat before and laid down, promptly closing his eyes, leaving the remaining two to look at each other.

"Hey Sym-" Hannah began, but she was cut off by the sudden embrace she found herself in.

"I'm... so sorry, Han," she whispered, causing Hannah to smile as she hugged her in return.

"Well, this is rare, but I'm okay, Sym," she replied. "Trust me... I've... worked through things. You don't have to worry."

"Are you sure?" Sym asked, pulling back and looking into her eyes. "No one should have to go through that..."

"You should be more worried about your brother than me, Sym," Hannah told her. "You should see what happened to him because of the whole not-breathing-fire thing. It wrecked him pretty hard."

Sym was about to say something, but then she stopped for a moment and seemed to reconsider. "Anyway, you should get some rest as well. I'll fill you in on the debrief in the morning," she told Hannah, who nodded.

"I was hoping I wouldn't miss that, but I'm definitely feeling pretty... out of whack," she replied.

"I'm not surprised," Sym murmured, turning away with a sigh as she looked over at Claire. "I can fill you in, don't worry. Go get some rest. Follow me, I'll show you a nice spot."

Hannah was going to ask something else, but before she could she was reminded of how much Sym had been through, and decided she didn't need anything more to think about. "Alright."

Claire watched with one eye as they left before he opened the other eye and stood, stretching. He flew up to the inside balcony and looked at Praze's motionless human form, sprawled on the bed, before smiling. Rest easy, he thought as he flew back down to the door and opened it, breathing in the fresh air.

"Nothing like a nice walk at night," he murmured to himself as he shut the door behind him and ventured out into the dark, unaware of the malign eyes watching earnestly.

The debrief progressed smoothly. After Shiro and Lilith had arrived with Ace and Toothless after their discussion, the total present were: Hiccup, Viri, Amaré, Arc, Yoshino, Valka, Symphony, and the aforementioned. After everyone was informed of the current situation, the real discussion began.

The Decree.

After all information regarding the Decree was made known, it was unanimous as to what needed to be done. Collectively, it was decided that a group, consisting of Arc, Yoshino, Ace, Toothless, Hannah, Praze, Viri, and Sym, were to travel to the mainland and locate the Decree's main base, and eliminate the man known as N'vara. That wasn't all, however, as Hiccup had something to say. The way he put it was, "the Night Furies need a safe haven from the Decree."

All agreed and as such, Shiro, Lilith, Amaré, Claire, were to stay behind and remain hidden until the rest of them destroy the Decree and its influences. So, feeling satisfied with their work, and deciding that the sooner they acted the better off the would be, those heading for the mainland to stop the Decree were to leave the next day. And as such, once all was said and done, the meeting was concluded with a wishing of a good night's sleep in light of the next day's tasks.

At least, that was what they had expected from the night until they heard a blood-curdling roar tear right through the night.

"What was that?" Hiccup asked as he stepped outside his house. "Most of the dragons should be sleeping now, I wonder what has it so riled up?"

"That wasn't a normal roar..." Shiro trailed off, puzzled. Lilith turned to him in confusion.

"You don't know what it is?" she asked. "I thought you could distinguish the difference between different dragons' roars?"

"I... I don't recognise it..." he replied, trailing off. He felt a great sense of unease that kept eating at him; a sense that something terrible was about to occur. He turned to Lilith, his face pale as he reached for his scale subconsciously. "We should go see what it is..."

Lilith raised a brow, somewhat disconcerted by the fact that Shiro felt he may need to orient out of his human form, and nodded. "Let's go, then."

"What's the commotion?" Viri asked as he appeared behind them, Sym just behind him.

"Something doesn't feel right," she said as looked at her parents' disquieted faces. It caused her to worry also as she followed the rest of them towards where they heard the noise.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, the quiet waves were interrupted by the sound of quick exhalation.

Praze sat upright in his bed, breathing heavily, his eyes wide and dilated, his hand clutching at his chest as a cold sweat washed over him. After he had calmed down, he realised it had only been a dream, and then wondered what he had dreamed about that could be so frightening. He let out a sigh, deciding it wasn't important enough if he couldn't remember before a sudden strange feeling encompassed his being. Something was wrong.

He jumped off his bed and ran down the stairs and out of the door without a second thought as he followed his senses.

"Ah, finally, someone has arrived."

"What do you w-want?" Shiro began, very unsure. The strange-looking dragon was slightly puzzled, considering there were three humans and a Night Fury in front of him, but nonetheless, he continued.

"I'm going to get right to the point," the spiny black and red dragon replied, holding Claire's unconscious body in hi front paws. "I want a full-grown Night Fury heart, and if I don't get what I want, this youngling will be cursed by my venom. He'll never be able to touch another dragon again without feeling excruciating pain, so if his parents are here, they should do what any parent would do and give themselves up for him."

Everyone was shocked at the strange dragon's words, but none of them doubted the legitimacy of such when Shiro reached for his scale and oriented in front of the dragon and eyed him seriously. Though, before he could say a word, the dragon spoke up again.

"Oh, so the rumour you can turn into humans is true? Then, surely your hearts can bring back the life of my mate!" the dragon then yelled, suddenly getting hysterical as Shiro watched anxiously. This isn't good, he thought. I might not be able to tell him that legend is false without him getting enraged and hurting Claire... On top of that, Shiro was having a moment where he was getting information. The dragon before him was an extremely rare species, thought to be extinct, that possessed vampiric qualities. Feeling a sense of dread, Shiro knew that the dragon wasn't lying.

"Please... calm down," Shiro began. "I-"

"NO, I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!" the dragon yelled, snarling, smashing Claire's small body to the ground, causing the young night Fury to cry out in pain. Lilith had to stop herself from running out there at that moment, knowing that it would only cause more trouble and endanger Claire further. "Don't think you're the only ones that have special abilities, so don't even think about trying any fancy shit," he said, his breath ragged. "You have a minute to put a Night Fury heart in front of me, or the youngling's future is gone."

"Idiot!" Sym yelled out, not only surprising the vampiric dragon but her family around her. "That's just a myth, concocted by years of uncertainty and legends! I know it sounds like I'm spouting lies to save him, but if you don't believe me, take me in his place," she told him, moving forwards. It was silent for a second, and the dragon's gaze softened, for whatever reason. Perhaps it was the selfless sacrifice, or perhaps it was the result of the dragon thinking his mate was gone forever. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter. His defence was lowered.

After a second of silence, the dragon was suddenly hit by a large black mass that sent him tumbling away from Claire before coming to a stop several metres away. He was disoriented for a moment before he came to his senses, finding himself pinned. Surprisingly, despite not being able to move, he smirked. "I expected this might happen... after all, Night Furies are a superior species..." he trailed off, somewhat amused by his own words. "Either way, you're too late. I never intended to spare the youngling, and it should be taking effect right about now..."

Praze's blue-purple eyes moved from the dragon and widened slightly as he looked back at his younger brother writhing on the ground, surrounded by Shiro, Lilith, and Viri. He turned back to the dragon with rage in his eyes. "Tell me how to reverse it... now."

The dragon began to snicker, but it was quickly staunched when he took a powerful hit to his lower abdomen, unable to do anything about it but wheeze out a cry of pain as Praze held him down. "It's... irreversible..." he muttered with a gasp, unable to regain his breath from the winding.

"You have five seconds to tell me how to reverse it, whether you know how or not before I blow your head off," Praze threatened as he glared down at the dragon. But despite this, the dragon just chuckled, lying his head back against the ground. "So be it." As Praze began charging a plasma blast, the dragon made a last-ditch attempt to free himself by stabbing his claws at Praze's side, albeit completely ineffective. At the action, Praze pushed the dragon further into the ground with focused, slitted eyes and shot his plasma blast right at the dragon's throat, the body suddenly limp after being deprived of a head that rolled away from the impact.

As he stepped off the body, Praze closed his eyes and let out a sigh, turning to walk over to the others. Damn it, he thought, before he suddenly felt something odd. He quickly opened his eyes to find that his family had disappeared from his view, which had been replaced by forest scenery. He realised that he'd been reconstructed, but not by his own ability, and turned around just to see a white flash of light that made his eyes widen. Once it had dissipated, though, they narrowed. "Why did you bring me out here, and where are we? We need to get back to check on Claire."

"He has the rest of our family right now and we're only a little bit away; still on Berq," Sym told him as she walked towards him. "I needed to talk to you."

"About what?" Praze asked, sitting down. It was quiet for a moment as Sym sat down across from him, taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She really didn't want to have to do this, but it was because of her own actions that she needed to, so she wasn't going to complain.

"About what happened just before the incident six years ago," she told him, averting her gaze.

I watched from the sidelines as Praze practised what dad was teaching him, trying and succeeding after watching how dad had done it. I was glad he was progressing at the same pace as me and I smiled as I looked up at the sky, noticing how late it had become. I let out a sigh as I unfurled my wings and jumped into the invigoratingly cool night air, feeling the wondrous breeze against my scales I always felt from flying at night in the cold air.

Like always though, my flight ended before I knew it and I flew down to the little alcove I'd recently enjoyed relaxing at. It had a great view of the ocean, and in the moonlight it really made the water look quite majestic. I smiled again before I dove down to land under the cover of the cave-like structure, glad for the soft grass underneath my paws as I laid down on my stomach and looked out to the calm water. I took a deep breath of the night air, loving the feeling as it filled my lungs, before I closed my eyes and rested my head on my paws.

I stayed like that for a little while, until the sound of wing-beats caused me to let out a huff of exasperation. Apparently it took a lot to get some time to myself. Though, when Praze dropped down into view and landed in the cave beside me, that exasperation went away. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be training for at least another hour or so," I said as I watched him lay down next to me and let out a yawn.

"Dad cut it short because some dragons are playing up again and he needed to go sort them out," he replied as he laid his head on his paws like I had done earlier.

"Let me guess. Treeth again, right?" I asked.

"Yep."

"That nightmare is an idiot," I murmured as I returned to my former position and closed my eyes once more. We sat in silence for a bit after that, which we were both perfectly content with, but it seemed that Praze had something on his mind.

"Hey Sym, have you ever thought about a mate?"

My brow raised at that. Of the multitudinous, often philosophical things we talk about, this was the first of such nature. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, like, have you ever wondered what sort of mate you'd want, or how you would ever find a mate in the world we live in?" he clarified, and I somewhat got what he was trying to say. It was kind of hard, considering I was half asleep, but nonetheless, I answered his question. Fortunately, it had been something I had thought of before.

"Well, I don't know if I'll ever really have the chance, or if someone I'll like enough even exists," I told him.

"Mhm, that's what I've thought as well. If anything, I'd at least like to know what it's like to mate, though, even if I don't find someone I want as a mate," he replied.

"That's true, especially considering what mum and dad are like," I murmured lazily.

"Did not need to be reminded, thanks," Praze told me as he whacked me with his wing.

"Yeah, sorry. Anyway, even if I just wanted to know what it's like, I wouldn't be able to mate with just anyone," I told him. "It would have to be with someone I trust, and even then, someone I trust would probably be a mate. So that kind of talk is kind of useless and paradoxical."

"Not necessarily," Praze murmured. "I mean, I can at least think of one I'd trust enough."

"Yeah, right. You don't know any other females besides myself and mum," I said, taking another deep breath of the wondrous night air.

"Obviously, I'd never even contemplate doing that with mum and just the though of that gives me the creeps," he said as he shook his head. "But... I mean, theoretically speaking, I guess I'd trust you." My previously closed eyes shot open when I processed what he'd just said and I turned to him. "I'd never do it or want to, though. I'm just saying that I pretty much trust you more than anyone else, you're not only my twin but my best friend, Sym. Just don't get too weirded out by what nonsense I'm spouting."

"I don't think it's nonsense, Praze. I suppose it's not so paradoxical if I'd trust you, too," I murmured as I returned to my original position. I could totally do that, though. Wait, what am I thinking?

"Wait, really?" Praze asked, disbelief in his voice. "Huh. Oh well, it's not like it matters, anyway. I didn't think talking about mates would produce such arbitrary prattle from us both. I mean, how did..."

Praze was still talking, but I wasn't listening. I didn't understand what I'm thinking, what thoughts are occurring in my head. I didn't understand what this feeling was. I didn't know what spurred my next words.

"We could do it," I stated absent-mindedly, cutting off whatever Praze had been saying.

"What?"

"I mean, I wouldn't mind. If it's with you, and for the sake of knowing what it feels like, I would mate with you," I said.

"Sym, quit joking around, it doesn't matter anymore," he said, standing up.

"I'm being completely serious," I told him, standing also. "If we wanted to, we could even do it now."

Praze looked completely dumbfounded. "W-What, Sym? What's gotten into you? No, we can't-"

"Mum and dad won't come looking for us, and they're busy with politics anyway," I said, cutting him off. "We could just wash off in the water afterwards, and no one would be the wiser."

Praze was about to say something in protest further but was silenced when he saw the look in my eye. His mouth was open in disbelief, and I finally realised what the feeling I had was. Lust.

I took a step towards him, but the second I did, he stepped back in fear. In an instant he had unfurled his wings and flew out of the alcove, leaving me in a slight stupor as I watched him disappear into the night. Then, the feeling faded, and I slumped to the ground, all strength in my body gone as it came to me. I fucked up really bad.

I stared at the ground with wide eyes, feeling a gaping hole in my chest from the irreparable damage I've just caused.

"Oh. Is that all?" he asked bluntly, causing Sym to look at him in slight confusion as he stood.

"This isn't some little thing we can simply brush off-"

"Yes, it is," he told her, cutting her off. "I've no doubt what happened that night wasn't of your honest intentions. If anyone's to blame, it's me for coming up with the topic."

"I-"

"In fact, with all the stress of what was going on then, it's a wonder I didn't crack under the pressure," he continued, ignoring her. "And I would have, if not for you. You kept my sanity in check, you were the mature one. We might be twins, but you're still the elder. One of us was going to crack and there was nothing we could have done about it. So why don't you stop blaming yourself and forget about what happened in the past, hm? Lamenting after the fact is only going to serve to fuck things up again, so it's best not for you to even contemplate trying to shoulder the blame. I've had years to think about how to refute each and every one of your pathetic excuses."

Sym could only stand in silence as she listened intently, owing him if only that. "Are you finished?" she asked softly, letting out a sigh of defeat.

"That depends on what you're going to say next." The corners of his mouth were barely containing the smirk she knew was staring her right in the face.

"Well, Praze, it's just... a little hard for me if you just accept and forgive me so straightforwardly after I've been so shattered by this for so long," she told him, still feeling somewhat unsatisfied by Praze's answer.

"You think my forgiveness is straightforward?" he asked her. "I was only putting things simply for both our sakes."

"Despite already knowing that, it doesn't make a difference to how I feel," she muttered as her shoulders slumped.

"Maybe so, but we both know that you didn't mean the things you said that night," he told her as he turned away. "You weren't thinking of or desiring me sexually; your trust in me became an object for aimless lust to fixate on. Nothing more, nothing less. You can either accept that... or..."

"... or?" she asked, watching as he turned his head to look at her with a glint in his eyes, a smile on his face.

"We'll have to settle this the old-fashioned way until you're forced to acknowledge there's nothing more to be said," he told her simply, to which she scoffed at.

"Oh really?" she murmured condescendingly. "I would've thought your plan to be a little more convoluted than that."

"Simplicity may not be intricate in and of itself, but isn't it remarkable at conveying the point?" Praze then asked her, causing her to laugh a little. Almost at the same moment, he pounced at her whilst she was distracted. Though, unfortunately for him, the moment he'd issued a challenge to her, she'd been on guard. With the slightest of smiles, Sym rolled onto her back just as Praze reached her and used her hind legs to flip him far past her, causing him to roll on the ground multiple times before coming to an abrupt, upside down stop against a nearby tree.

"What I did just then was very simple, and I agree it certainly conveys the point," she said, walking over to him as he watched her with a flat look on his face. "The point: I'm still better than you."

"This is actually quite comfortable, I should thank you," he told her blankly, ignoring her comment. "It's really quite relaxing on the spine."

She stared down at him for a moment, deciding not to bother continuing. "I'm glad." Praze tilted his head sideways the best he could whilst upside down, giving his best 'really?' look. She ignored him, turning and walking away from him. "Well, since that's now off my mind, we should probably be getting back to see how Claire's doing."

Unbeknownst to her, Praze smiled to himself as he watched her orient into human form. Well, it's not like I need you to verbalise it, but it would be nice to hear you say you're okay, he thought to himself as he rolled onto his feet and oriented. "I'm sure you're aware, but you'll have to take me there," he told her, holding out his hand. She turned around with a smirk as she grabbed it.

"Useless, aren't you?"

"So... how is he?"

Shiro let out a sigh as his rubbed his forehead with his hand, obviously under an amount of stress. "The process of the venom changing part of his biology was quite taxing and needless to say painful," he answered Sym, pacing in front of the fireplace in Viri's house. "He's asleep for now, but that dragon wasn't lying. When I tried to help Claire up, he was screaming for me to not touch him; that it hurt when I did."

Sym let out a shaky breath as she clenched her fists. "Before that dragon even tried bargaining with us, he'd already done it, hadn't he?"

Shiro nodded slowly, letting out a sigh. He was about to speak again but decided against it. He decided it was best not to show two of his children the extent of his sadness, something he would unavoidably do through the tellings in his voice. After all, having his youngest's future taken away was something very hard to deal with.

"We didn't need another tragedy in this family..." Sym trailed off, walking over to and slumping deep into a chair, finding herself phenomenally tired. "Well, I suppose Viri leaving isn't much of a tragedy in comparison to some things, but there are still a few, nonetheless."

"I just don't understand how this could happen..." Praze murmured, leaning against the wall. "I mean, how does something like this even happen?"

"There's no point in trying to understand a connection where there isn't one," she told him, slowly getting up. "For now, unless we're planning to postpone, I need to get some rest."

"Postpone?" Praze asked as he watched her walk over to the door. Shiro looked up, remembering that Praze didn't know yet.

"If you're going somewhere, why don't you take Praze to Hannah and tell them both what we're doing?" he asked and she stopped, turning to him.

"Mhm, sure," she muttered quietly. "Come on."

Praze obeyed and followed her out into the night.

The morning was cold, foggy, and quiet. As Ace, Toothless, Viri, Praze, Sym, Hannah, and Hiccup stood around Arc and Yoshino's ship, waiting for them to appear, none of them spoke a word. All of them knew what happened the night previous, and none of them felt like it was the right time to speak. That was until Arc and Yoshino appeared and broke the tense atmosphere.

"Woah, you're all here already? It's deathly silent out here!" Yoshino exclaimed, causing Arc to elbow him in the side.

"Well, we thought it best to get here early," Toothless explained, walking forward. "It's alright with you both if we get going now? I'd like us to make it to the mainland before it's too late, so we can get some accommodation at an inn."

Arc was about to respond but before she could, Viri blurted out, "Oh, we don't need to bother. I know a friend who can take us in on short notice. We're planning on making port in Kyoraan, right?"

"Yes, we are," Arc replied. "And that's good because you don't want to spend the night at the Tabi."

"You mean the Tabibito?" Viri asked and she nodded. "I'd heard it was pretty well-renowned."

"I've even heard of it," Toothless chirped in.

"They just stay open until almost morning, and the noise usually never stops," Arc told them. "Yoshino and I have stayed there once to try it but we didn't get any sleep, which is why wherever we prefer our ship, Pertriti."

"Who's this friend of yours, Viri?" Toothless asked, a brow raised. "Is it a she?" he asked with a somewhat suggestive tone and Viri pushed Toothless' inquisitive head away from him with a sigh.

"Yes, but she's a human," he said. "Her name's River, and I've known her for quite some time now."

"Given up on Ennis, have we now?" Sym asked, causing Viri to turn to her with wide eyes.

"You, SHUSH!" he whispered furiously.

"Who's this Ennis, Viri?" Toothless' inquisitive voice came from behind him and Viri's blood went cold.

"Basically his mate," Sym answered before Viri could say anything. "Until Viri just up and left."

"No WAY! You two didn't even meet her-"

"We did once, actually," Praze joined in, a smirk on his face. "I don't remember much of that, but I do know all about her from our parents."

"Wow, and you didn't even tell me?" Toothless asked in mock dismay. "All this time I thought we were friends, Viri..." he trailed off.

"You can shut it, Silva," Viri told him, groaning into the palm of his hand. "Can we go already?" he asked Arc as he looked up at her.

"I was just about to say, but yes, we do need to head off sooner rather than later," she answered, walking on board her ship. "All of you can have a room to yourselves, or not, and pick any room apart from the master bedroom. If you could all board now, it would be much appreciated."

With that, she and Yoshino boarded, leaving the others to follow. Viri was unable to board in peace, however.

A/N

Although I believe I have every right to update however sporadically, I believe it was fairly detrimental on the reader count because of where my absence occured. I would say that this part of the story was very much "filler", with a few plot devices woven through. Fortunately, all that's about to change as we finally kick the story into gear.

I hope you're as pumped as I am.

As usual, thanks to my reviewers, but I will no longer be answering reviews in this section. If you have any questions you would like answered, please feel free to send me a PM. I answer any and all messages within reason. If you don't have an account, tough luck. If the question isn't important enough for you to take the two minutes it takes to create an account, don't bother.

That's all for now. Please leave your honest thoughts and opinions in the form of a review and enjoy yourselves until next time.