Whew. Here is Chapter 23.

This was a lot easier to type up than Chapter 22, as it only took me a day to make this. It's mostly a transition chapter, setting up events for the chapter after this. I'll explain more at the bottom, as usual.

Now, I haven't addressed any reviews in a while. I meant to do this back in Ch 21, but I kept forgetting. Whoops

Iceman3423 - Thank you for the positive review! (Sorry for the huge delay). I've been trying to work on describing the environment a little more, so I hope I've done a good job! Let me know if it needs some work

Warning: there is a decent amount of line separations. Hope they aren't too annoying.

So, hope you enjoy!

POV: Harvey

Finally. We're out of the Rainforest.

No more oversized bugs could come out of nowhere and freak him out. Spending what felt like 2-3 weeks in the Rainforest was not that enjoyable.

Cyclone and Aster made it tolerable at the time, but of course, the whole thing fell apart with Darkstalker's arrival. I'm still pissed about that.

After him, Cyclone and Loris flew out of the Rainforest, they found a good place to sleep for the night. Harvey had to admit that he was a little surprised Loris came with them, but he claimed he simply was going to help them get out. He would return to the Rainforest the next morning.

Around them was a small cluster of trees, which hid them well enough to not be seen. Various stones and rocks were nearby, allowing the gang to rest on them.

The three of them sat around a campfire that Harvey had made. Apparently, dragons didn't figure out that they could just rub some sticks together to make a fire, so the revelation that a Human could do that nearly made Cyclone faint.

This planet is so weird. I guess our discoveries come from the fact that we needed them to survive. Dragons got fire breath or night vision, so no reason for fire I guess.

As he was thinking, Loris cut into his thoughts. "NOW can you explain what happened with you and Darkstalker?", he demanded.

Harvey sighed in response. "I did promise that. Alright man, sit back and relax", he replied. "Cyclone, you probably need to hear this as well".

Once both dragons had settled in, Harvey began his tale.

"...I can't believe Darkstalker did that to you", Cyclone said, looking a little angry. "T-That's awful".

Loris nodded in agreement. "If I had to kill Aster or Epiphyte, I'd probably be scarred for life".

"I just… don't get it myself", Harvey began to ramble. "Is Darkstalker threatened by my ability to not be affected by magic?".

The others didn't respond, although he expected that. A gust of wind blew by, shaking the trees and sending a chill through Harvey's body.

After a few moments of silence, Cyclone spoke up. "I-I might have a theory", he said.

Harvey raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Go for it, Cy", he said.

"Cy? What's that?", Cyclone questioned.

Whoops. Said that out loud. "Ah, sorry. Just a nickname I thought of right now", Harvey replied, a little flustered. "If you don't like it-".

"Actually, I like that", interrupted Cyclone, smiling.

"Oh. Nice!", Harvey replied, a little surprised. He didn't quite expect Cyclone to accept that nickname so quickly.

"Anyways, you seem to know a lot about things that us dragons haven't ever heard of", Cyclone began. "Like, that bike thing. Or whatever e-electricity is".

Harvey began to see where Cyclone was going with this.

"Perhaps Darkstalker wants this information for his personal plans", Cyclone continued to say. "You probably know of a lot of things".

Harvey chuckled. "Yeah, that's about right. I wouldn't tell Darkstalker anything normally", he said. "So if he wanted to get information out of me….".

"He'd need to enchant you", Loris piped up, finishing Harvey's sentence.

"I didn't even know you w-were listening", Cyclone stammered out. Harvey nodded in agreement. He's been pretty quiet since we left the Rainforest.

Loris sighed. "I'm trying to sleep, but y-you guys are a bit loud", he said. "Doesn't help that I missed Sun time earlier".

While they flew away from the Rainforest, Loris had explained what Sun time was and why it was a big deal for Rainwings. It actually fascinated Harvey a little bit, considering how similar it was to photosynthesis.

"Whoops", Harvey replied, a little embarrassed. "We'll move man. You get some sleep".

Loris rolled his eyes in response, but he laid his head down on a rock. Cyclone and Harvey moved away from the campfire to continue their conversation. Surrounding them were a bunch of trees, although Harvey had no idea what else there was nearby.

"Well then", Harvey spoke up, once they were far enough away. "I'll admit, that makes a lot of sense".

"H-Huh?", Cyclone asked, who appeared to be distracted with his pouch. Harvey assumed that was where his moon rock was. "Sorry, what makes sense?".

Probably just tired. "Your theory", replied Harvey. "The information I hold would…. certainly be useful to Darkstalker".

Cyclone didn't respond at first. He appeared to be staring back at Loris' sleeping body. "I just r-realized something….".

"Go ahead", Harvey said, gesturing for him to continue.

"Loris doesn't have a moon rock, r-right?", Cyclone said, his tone a little more shaken. "S-So… is it possible that Darkstalker sent him to spy on us?".

Oh shit. That's certainly a possibility.

"...Possible, y-yes", Harvey replied, a little shaken himself. "It doesn't seem likely, but I guess we better be careful".

God damn you, Animus Magic. Can't even worry about having new friends without suspecting anything.

Cyclone nodded with him. "I-If only Winter was here. At least we know he's all himself".

Oh, right. The Icewing guy.

Harvey sighed. "The fact he just.. went off on his own. Didn't even bother to stick around", he said. "Hopefully we can find him again".

A few more moments of silence. The wind blew by, making the trees shake.

Then Harvey felt himself…. yawning. The tiredness from the day's events was finally weighing down on him. He heard Cyclone do the same.

"You know what…. let's sleep….", mumbled Harvey, feeling his body slow down. He walked over to the rock he had picked earlier and rested his head on it. Earlier, he placed some grass on it to make it softer.

Cyclone did the same, resting his head on a rock. "Good night…", he mumbled, before trailing off. Harvey did the same, closing his eyes and letting sleep take him.

Why…. is good night not a greeting?, was Harvey's final thought.

BOOM

"Sir! The dragons have breached the Earth Defense System!".

"Impossible. What weapons do they have?!".

"It appears they have technology very similar to our own. The strange thing is, they appear to be invulnerable to our weapons!".

"And?".

"They also have these weird beams that defy physics itself. Anytime it hits one of our ships, the ship suddenly turns against us!".

Silence.

"Mother. Fucking. Harvey".

"Sir?".

"I sent him on a mission to explore an alien planet. And according to our findings, these aliens have come from the very same planet".

"G-General Graham…".

"Those mother fucking aliens captured Harvey and forced him against us".

"Sir, that language is-".

"I DON'T CARE. OUR DOWNFALL WILL BE BECAUSE I MADE A FATAL MISTAKE!".

BANG

A dragon broke down the door that sealed off Graham's office from the rest of the station. It roared, before aiming a weapon that looked like a gun.

BANG

The gun shot out a laser, landing directly on Gordon.

"NO! NOT HIM TOO!".

The dragon pointed the gun at Graham and fired it. It landed directly on him as well, its aim unlike any other.

"Ugh… I….".

Everything went black around him.

"The battle never ends", a weird voice whispered.

And suddenly, Harvey was standing in the middle of a field. A field he recognized all too well. It was where he went when he had a really bad day.

"W-What in the world?", he stammered out.

"Good morning, Harvey".

Harvey whirled around to see another human standing behind him. The first time seeing a human in months. Strangely, though, he looked like a silhouette of a human.

"W-Who the hell are you?", he asked.

The human chuckled. "You gave me a nickname. How could you forget?".

"Huh? What do you… wait", Harvey began before realizing. "You're 'Buddy', right?".

Buddy laughed. "Of course, Harvey. Congratulations on your escape from the Mindscape".

Harvey raised an eyebrow. "T-Thanks? But why am I here?", he asked.

"Well, as you know, this is where you came in your darkest times", Buddy said in a soft tone, moving over to stand next to Harvey. "We got some business to discuss".

Immediately, Harvey was curious. "What kind of business requires a ominous voice from, as far as I know, the heavens", he joked.

There was no laughing coming from Buddy, however. "What do you think that dream was about?".

"Dream? D-Do you mean the scene of General Graham being…. S-shot?", Harvey asked, stammering at the end. That was awful.

"Precisely. Why do you think that happened?", Buddy asked.

A light breeze blew through the field. In the distance, the sun was starting to set, creating a beautiful sight.

"W-Well.. he mentioned my name", Harvey began. "Something about dragons attacking.. Earth? Wait, what the hell?!".

Buddy sighed. "That's what would have happened if you lost".

Harvey blinked at Buddy. "I-If I lost in the Mindscape? How the fuck does that lead to dragons t-taking over Earth?", he stammered out.

"Human technology. With the help of animus magic, it would have meant the end of everything", Buddy explained. "It would have been really, really bad".

Silence once again. A gust of wind blew through the field, stronger than before.

"W-Why did I-I have that dream?", Harvey asked.

"I showed it to you. So you can understand the consequences of your near mistake", Buddy replied.

For some reason, this quote made Harvey mad. "MY MISTAKE?! What the fuck are you talking about?!", he yelled out, giving Buddy a glare.

Buddy took a step back, somehow looking concerned. "Apologizes, Harvey. It wasn't really your fault that you got caught", he said. "It's just… the universe never expected you to survive".

Harvey's glare softened a little bit. "Well… I didn't expect to survive either", he commented. "But why am I here in this field?".

"W-Well. I wanted to see what you would say", Buddy replied, chuckling a bit. "But also, you need to be careful".

"Careful of….", Harvey trailed off.

"Everything. Specifically, Darkstalker and his allies", Buddy finished. "I'm aware you're going to the ocean. Just, really make sure to not trust anyone".

Harvey sighed. Buddy was right that trusting anyone would probably not end very well. Still, they needed some more allies somehow.

He sat down on the grass, staring off into the sunset. It was beautiful, like how it always was. The sight always gave Harvey a smile and lifted his spirits.

"Well, my time is up", Buddy said suddenly. "I won't be back here for a while. Goodbye man". And without another word, before Harvey could even say goodbye, he disappeared.

Buddy… what a weird guy. If he was going to be honest, Harvey didn't really like Buddy very much. He somehow acted like he knew better than anyone else, which was a characteristic that Harvey HATED.

However, Harvey knew he was being a bit over reactive at this. He was pretty sure that Buddy was simply trying to warn him about things. And after his near loss of his mind, it would be understandable.

As the sun set behind the horizon, the dreamscape around him suddenly shifted, before turning all black.

"Ugh….", Harvey moaned out, opening his eyes. The sun was shining brightly, blinding Harvey for a second.

"Finally, you're awake", Loris grumbled nearby.

"W-What…", Harvey uttered, sitting up on the rock. "Why the grumbles?".

Loris frowned in response. "I'd like to get home. Queen Glory is probably concerned about my absence".

"Ok…. how come you haven't left yet?", Harvey asked. It was, admittedly, a little suspicious.

"Just wanted to say goodbye", Loris replied. "And now you're awake, so I say goodbye".

Without another word, Loris flew off in the direction of the Rainforest.

The… hell? That was awfully suspicious, I won't lie.

"That was weird, wasn't it?", Cyclone said suddenly. He was sitting nearby on a rock, his pouch resting on his back..

"Yeah, it was", Harvey replied. "What's with people just leaving before I can say goodbye. First Winter, then Buddy, now Loris".

Cyclone looked confused for a second. "B-Buddy? Who's that?", he asked.

Whoops. "U-Uh, he's this human that appeared in my dreams", Harvey explained. "Weird voice too". He expected that to be it about Buddy.

To Harvey's surprise, however, Cyclone pushed on. "W-Weird voice? Did he speak in a…. how do you describe it… Bold tone?".

Of the many ways that Harvey would have described Buddy's voice, bold wasn't one he thought of. But now that he thought about it, it did seem to have a weird, bold tone to it. What the hell is a 'Bold tone' Harvey?

"Yeah. Looked like me, but all black", Harvey replied, explaining what Buddy looked like.

Cyclone's eyes widened a bit. "That's the one!", he exclaimed. "He appeared in my dreams and asked about Winter".

Why Winter? Is it because I gave the moon rock to him?

"Strange. All Buddy did in my dream was, well, tell me to be careful", Harvey said.

"Is that his name?", Cyclone asked. "H-He told me he didn't have a name".

Harvey chuckled a little in response. "Probably not. It's my nickname for him, Cy".

"You're really into that, aren't you?", Cyclone jokingly said.

"Hah. Maybe", Harvey replied. "Anyways, enough about nicknames. Let's get packed up".

They made sure they all had their personal belongings, especially the moon rocks. While they had flown yesterday, Harvey panicked for a moment when he realized he wasn't holding his rock. Luckily for him, it was in his not broken pocket.

Right now, it was still in the pocket, although Harvey knew he had to be more careful with it. If he lost it again, it would end very badly for him.

After they had everything they needed, Harvey climbed onto Cyclone's back. "Hope you don't get any of that rib pain again, Cy", he said.

"D-Don't worry about it", Cyclone replied. He lifted off into the air, flapping his wings as they aimed for the ocean.

They flew for the rest of the day, before landing on an island a good ways away from the coast. While they were in flight, Harvey saw a town that seemed small by dragon standards. He didn't mention it, but he wondered what it was.

Night was falling once again, although not quite yet. The sun stood on the horizon, as if it was watching Harvey and Cyclone trying to start a campfire, like how they did the night before. Once the campfire was up, Harvey walked over to the beach and sat down on the sand.

"It's beautiful", Harvey said to himself. One thing that was better than a sunset was a sunset on a beach. It was something he had missed in space.

"Watching the sunset, huh?", Cyclone called out from behind. Turning around, Harvey saw him approaching.

"Yeah man. I haven't seen this kind of a view in years", Harvey said. "Sunsets are fantastic".

Cyclone sat down next to Harvey, nodding. "They are pretty cool. I've seen so many though, so it's not too impressive to me", he said, observing the sunset with him.

The two of them sat on the sand in silence, watching as the sun lowered below the horizon. It reminded Harvey of Earth, which sent a small whisper of mourning for his home. He wanted to go back, but Darkstalker wasn't allowing it.

Then, Harvey noticed that Cyclone was shaking a little bit. "Are you cold, Cy?', he asked.

Cyclone hesitated for a second, before shaking his head. "N-No. Just nervous about s-seeing Seawings again", he said.

Ah. That makes sense. It would be like returning to school after summer break, where Harvey was always nervous.

"I get how you feel, Cy. Just remain strong and don't let the society break you", Harvey said, grinning.

"What kind of q-quote is that?", Cyclone asked, looking a little dumbfounded.

"Made it up ages ago. It's helped me through some hard times", Harvey replied, still grinning. "Maybe it will do the same for you".

A faint smile appeared on Cyclone's face. "M-Maybe. Well, we should probably get some sleep now", he said, letting out a yawn.

Harvey wasn't too tired yet, but he knew that sleep was probably needed. "Got it. Let's head back to the fire", he said, standing up.

The two walked back to the campfire, which was glowing in the darkness. Above them, all three moons could be seen. Two of them were more than halfway full, while the third was a crescent.

Cyclone curled himself into a spot on the sand and laid his head down. "Good night Harvey", he mumbled, before closing his eyes.

Harvey sat there, trying to make himself tired, but his mind kept circling back to the Mindscape and the dream he had last night.

I really hope I never have to see the Mindscape again. Even though they weren't real, I still feel massively guilty about killing the fakes. But if I didn't do that, then Graham would have died a painful death, along with humanity.

He stared up into the sky, stars dotting the night. It reminded Harvey too much like home, which nearly made him cry right then and there. Emotions like this rarely took over him, but after what he had gone through….

"Just remain strong and don't let the stalker break you".

That thought came out of nowhere, but Harvey gave a small smile at that. It was just like the quote he told Cyclone.

I will remain strong. I will do my best to help out my friend.

I will not let the stalker break me.

So, did you enjoy it? Please give feedback if you have any!

It might be a little while before the next chapter comes out. I'm aiming for it to be a longer chapter, as, in my opinion, Cyclone's kind of had the short end of the stick on chapter lengths. And besides, since it's the Kingdom of the Sea, I gotta have underwater segments. I won't say too much about my plans at the moment.

Depending on my motivation, I may occasionally stop working on this to work on The Ultimate Reality: Stories. I have some ideas in mind for that, but it might be a while before I do it again. Again, it depends on my motivation.

So, see you next chapter!