When Bergan and the Crazy Aces were away, it was finally time for the younglings to play… at least, that's what a lot of them hoped. They did their best to keep each other from feeling too sad or worried… but it was hard to stay positive when HE was on the prowl.

Many of the students and younger dragons spoke in hushed tones and kept their heads to the ground whenever General Cyrus was skulking about. He was left in charge after Bergan whisked himself away to deal with whatever was going on in the dragon realms. And Cyrus was rarely in a good mood.

He stomped his way down a corridor after leaving the chapel. Behind him strode Elza, silent and stiff as always. Some younger dragons gasped upon seeing him and shivered in place as he approached. A few others called out to Elza, hoping to break her of her trance and stir her to action. Cyrus simply rolled his eyes and pushed past them with hardly a care as he continued on his way.

Cyrus blew black smoke from his nostrils as he flexed his wings. For the first few days, lording his newfound power over the younglings around him was a dream come true. Finally, they had to acknowledge his presence… and his MIGHT. Finally, the students respected him as the great black dragon he was. And finally… he was noticed. And yet, despite all of that, he was bored.

Cyrus had hoped that some of the braver (and stupider) students would attempt some kind of uprising. Maybe they'd rise up and challenge Cyrus to a fight for the freedom of all the others. But nope; none of them made any attempts. Either they were too afraid, or didn't want to risk gaining Bergan's ire by causing a ruckus in the fortress.

Damn them… Cyrus thought with a scowl. It would have been so satisfying to mop the floor with some of the more obnoxious ones.

Without anyone to do battle within the fortress, Cyrus found himself trying to look forward to helping Bergan whenever he was preparing a new batch of convexity gems. Cyrus couldn't help but admire the light show that went off ever time Bergan set to work with the machinery. The sights, the smells… it made him shake with excitement. The power… such glorious power. But alas; Bergan always kept the crystals to himself. And every time, when he was finished, he'd whisk the day's creations off to parts unknown.

The frustrating part is that Bergan never has Cyrus do anything other than heavy lifting. Every time, Cyrus spent most of the procedure just standing around and watching. Sometimes Bergan would tell a little story, but otherwise, Cyrus found it frustrating. He could watch, he could smell… but he could never TOUCH the convexity.

Bergan can be such a tease… Cyrus huffed. As he rounded a corner, the black drake began to think about the last story Bergan told… the one concerning sibling rivalry gone wrong.

A sibling growing so envious that they'd try to kill their brother… Cyrus sucked in a breath. Sure… as if I'd ever become THAT envious of him.

All of this random walk-around was getting Cyrus nowhere. It was time to make his way to his favorite spot to relax: Tina's cell.

"Come on, Aunt Elza." Cyrus said behind himself to the wind dragoness. "Let's bring Tina a nice meal."

Ten minutes later, Cyrus and Elza arrived at Tina's cell. The wind dragoness carried a tray of food with her and held it carefully while Cyrus stepped before the door. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a ring of keys; specially designed for the dungeon cells with all of his prisoners. He set to work unlocking the door, paying no mind to Tina as she looked between him and Elza.

"Cyrus?" Tina asked cautiously. "It sure took you a while to come back."

"It's been a busy day." Cyrus declared as he pulled the cell door open. "Elza, bring her the meal."

Elza wordlessly stepped forward into the cell to place the tray down before Tina. As the wind dragoness lowered her neck, Cyrus thought he saw something out of place. Something about the confines of her dark robes… they weren't quite as bumpy as they usually were. But what could be the matter?

"Cyrus?" Tina asked again, drawing his attention. Cyrus snorted and shook his head; he was over-thinking things when he could be spending time with Tina. After Elza stepped out of the cell, he slid down onto his haunches and tapped his talons. Tina halfheartedly picked up part of a sliced apple and bit into it.

"I hope you're doing alright today." Cyrus said calmly.

"Oh, yeah…" Tina huffed as she shook a shackled forepaw. "I'm doing just fine and dandy."

"Alright, no need to be all catty…" Cyrus huffed. "I'm aware that this isn't exactly the executive suite."

"Hmph…" Tina scrunched up her muzzle… but then sighed and shook her head. She took a moment to silently eat more of her apple slices, all under Cyrus's watch. The burly black drake wracked his talons upon the stone floor, quietly watching Tina eat with mild interest.

And as Tina ate… she very carefully glanced behind Cyrus's head at Elza, who stood silent and still outside the cell. She had an uneasy grimace upon her muzzle and looked eager to make a move to do something to spring Tina from her confinement. But Elza knew, just like Tina knew, that this would blow their cover immediately. No, they needed the right moment… and a distraction.

Tina put down her slices and looked Cyrus in the eyes. "Hey, I've been doing some thinking while you were away."

"You have?" Cyrus raised an eye ridge. "About what?"

"About… well, you." Tina put on a sweet smile and glanced around at Cyrus's various muscular limbs. "Your new look is really… growing on me."

"Oh, it has, hmm?" Cyrus grinned. "Finally coming around to my transformation?"

"Oh, absolutely." Tina said with the best sweetness she could muster. She shook her wings as well as she could in her restraints and fluttered her eyes in a dainty way. "You've become quite the hunk of a dragon, Cy!"

Ugh, I feel so gross… Tina growled internally. Luckily, the big black drake put on a satisfied grin; he was buying it wholesale.

"Well…" Cyrus flexed his forelegs and swung his tail from side to side. "How about a better view of it?"

"Sure thing, Cyrus." Tina grinned happily.

Scalp me.

Cyrus continued to put on a little show of showing off his muscled body. He turned this way and that as best as he could in the little room he had in the door. Tina did her best to clap her forepaws together despite the restraints, and made little chirps, ooh's, and ahh's for Cyrus's delight.

But during Cyrus's macho show, a miracle happened. The keys on his key ring were jostled from side to side; a few of them were especially close to flying off. And as Cyrus strutted about, the keys began to rattle. Tiny bursts of wind came from nowhere and surrounded the keys, flicking them around one by one with serious focus and skill. Tina glanced behind Cyrus at Elza… and nearly laughed in delight. The wind dragoness was using her magic to subtly manipulate the air around the keys, until…

Three little keys were plucked from the ring and hurtled through the air. One by one, Elza directed the keys so that they'd go flying right for her, and into the sleeve on her robes. And just as little jostling noises began, Tina quickly stomped her paws on the floor and bounded up and down in her restraints.

"Amazing Incredible!" Tina cheered as she made a racket. "The best show I've ever seen!"

Elza struggled not to groan in annoyance at the exaggerated enthusiasm. Cyrus, however, gave a sigh of happiness and a bow of his head; he took to the praise like a fish to water.

"Thank you, Tina." He said eagerly. "I've wanted to strut around for you like this for a long, long time."

"Oh, I can tell…" Tina said as she fluttered her eyes again. She forced herself to look Cyrus in the eyes and put on the biggest, most eager face she could. "Say, uh… Cyrus, would it be alright if you… kissed me?"

Cyrus's eyes widened in delight, and he preemptively puckered his lips. "Oh, it's more than alright, Tina."

Without warning, the great black drake brought his snout down upon Tina's; he pushed her back a bit against the wall. Tina's face flushed red; even as her own plan of distraction she still wasn't ready. Cyrus pushed as passionately as any drake could, while Tina just stood awkward and stiff. And she wasn't the only one; as she peeked an eye open, Tina could see Elza grimacing out in the hallway. Still, with the distraction provided, Elza double-checked on the three keys she'd swiped from the key ring. All three were for the cells marked for Chalice, Lantel, and Sandra. She nodded in satisfaction and gave Tina a thumbs-up.

At least it's for a good cause… Tina thought with a shiver. Also, he's not the worst kisser in the realms.

When Cyrus broke the kiss, he leaned his head up to smile down at Tina. The dark-yellow dragoness took a calm breath and forced herself to smile as she looked him in the eyes.

"Oh, I've wanted to do that for a long time." Cyrus declared. "Here's hoping we get to spend more time together in the future, Tina."

"Right…" Tina said awkwardly as her spine tingled from weird sensations. "Say, uh, Cy?"

"What is it?"

"I've, uh…" Tine tapped her talons on the ground. "I've got one other thing in mind if you're willing to listen."

"Go ahead." He nudged her forehead. "You can tell me."

"Okay, it's like this…" Tina stood up taller to focus on Cyrus's gaze. "Cyrus, if you're going to serve under Bergan in whatever schemes he's got going…" Tina took a deep breath. "Then I want to do the same."

Cyrus blinked in surprise and then glared at her skeptically. "You… want to go along with him now? Why?"

"Well… so we can be together." Tina declared.

Cyrus just rolled his eyes at that. "Don't give me any of that BS, Tina. You don't like Bergan. You wouldn't suddenly want to go along with his plans."

Tina couldn't believe it. Cyrus would gladly accept that Tina had a romantic interest in him in a heartbeat, but he'd question whether or not she'd go along with Bergan's plans to be with him? She struggled not to gnash her fangs; this was so aggravating! She'd need to think up the right thing to say if she wanted to throw him off the scent.

"Well, at the very least, I'm willing to go along with whatever you want." Tina fluttered her eyes. She reached out and placed one of her forepaws atop his. "You can be my, uh… my Master."

Cyrus leaned his head back in disgust. "No, no, no. I didn't want to make you into a SLAVE, Tina."

Tina snorted; at the very least she was glad to hear that. But then she looked down at her shackles and chains, and then sneered up at Cyrus. "I certainly LOOK like a slave."

Cyrus just sighed and shook his head. "It was only ever going to be a temporary thing. You think I want you to spend the rest of your life locked up? Of course not." He slid a forepaw closer to her. "I just need to be sure that you understand why I'm working with him."

"I know, I know. It's just…" Tina sighed and felt a few tears fall down her face. "While you're quite the eye-candy now, I still kind of miss the old you a little." She put on a smile. "I just hope that you didn't rush too quickly into taking on this new form. I… I just want to be sure that you're okay. That the convexity isn't doing something to hurt you on the inside.

Tina felt tears forming; genuine tears. She tried to keep a smile going as her vision blurred a bit. Cyrus sighed as he looked down upon Tina. He used a talon to carefully wipe the tears from her face.

"Tina… I LIKE this new me." Cyrus said. "I finally feel like a real dragon. Like I'm the mighty black drake I was always meant to be. And I don't ever want to go back to feeling like the weak, pathetic…" He gnashed his fangs and growled lowly. "…thing that I was before."

Tina felt part of her sadness get replaced with anger. She couldn't stand having an argument like this. Just how deep did that convexity seep into him: Was his brain twisted and pulsing with weird magic as the rest of his body was? There had to be something she could do… something to get through to him… But most importantly, she needed to get out of this damn cell.

"If you don't believe that I could go alongside whatever Bergan is planning… then let me out of here." Tina pleaded. "Even if I have to stay locked in chains, at least let me walk around the grounds. I don't want to be stuck locked up in a smelly little jail cell day in and day out. And besides…" Tina looked over his fat wings. "I know you're just dying to show off what your new form can really do, aren't you?"

Cyrus scrunched up his face. "Your attitude regarding the new me is certainly flip-flopping a bit."

"Please?" Tina asked as she fluttered her eyes again… and crossed her talons and hoped he didn't see through her deception.

"Seriously, something is different now…" Cyrus tapped his talon.

"What's different is that my legs are aching." Tina sighed. "Please… just for a little while. Let me walk around out there. Prove to me that I'm not really a slave or a prisoner."

Cyrus stood up a bit taller and sighed. "Oh, very well. We'll head out onto the courtyard for a bit."

"Thank you, Cy." Tina gave him a soft smile.

Cyrus stood up taller and looked outside. "Elza, please come help remove some of the binds on Tina's limbs."

At once, the green dragoness stepped into view and set to work removing several of the shackles. Tina soon found she could move, but not very fast. Elza was about to unshackle Tina's wings, but Cyrus stopped her.

"Oh, come on." Tina protested.

"Not yet." Cyrus scolded. Tina just snorted and sat back on her haunches as Elza worked with the last of the binds.

But as the wind dragoness set to work, she briefly had her back faced toward Cyrus. At that moment, she flashed a quick wink to Tina; just a small sign to let her know that she wasn't completely alone.

As Elza leaned back up, she turned to step out of the cell… only for Cyrus to abruptly block her path with a wing. Elza flinched in surprise but quickly made to take her stoic stance, while the black dragon brought his face down toward hers.

"Hmm…" Cyrus sneered as he inspected Elza's face and neck. "Something's not right."

Elza did the best she could to keep staring forward; she didn't want to shiver or shake, no matter how badly she felt the urge. She couldn't give herself away… and yet her instincts were telling her that danger was imminent.

"Ah, I see what's wrong now…" Cyrus leaned his head upward. "Where's your necklace?"

Elza didn't respond, although Tina lightly gasped. She shut her eyes and shuddered in anticipation of a growl or a snarl…

"One of the Crazy Aces must have stolen it." Cyrus said with a belligerent snort. "Damn those little pricks. I don't get why Bergan would want them working for him. Oh well…"

Tina almost breathed a sigh of relief… only to be unceremoniously tugged forward by the chain on her collar. She growled in frustration as Cyrus led her forward, but quickly swallowed that up so she didn't set the black dragon off. Instead, she just took careful breaths and followed after Cyrus. Elza took the rear of their little group, and that at least gave Tina some sense of security; she was still on her side, willing to help out.

That's the first part of the plan done, Tina sighed.

As Cyrus and Tina strode forward down the corridor, Tina brushed herself up against Cyrus's side. The black dragon looked down at her and smiled another genuinely happy smile. Tina picked up the pace a bit and forced herself to stay as close to Cyrus as possible.

"Well, it's nice being this close to you again." Tina fluttered her eyes again. "I really wish you'd treat me better all the time."

"I will." Cyrus replied as he draped a wing over her. "Given time… I definitely will."

As Cyrus and Tina walked together in the corridor… Elza lagged behind. She picked up her feet, slowed her pace, and watched as Tina showered Cyrus with affection and kind words, all for the sake of getting the black drake to forget that Elza was there. And soon, as Elza slowed to a complete stop, she watched the two dragons turn a corner and vanish up a flight of stairs. Elza was alone at last.

The wind dragoness took only a single sigh of relief, before turning on her heels and sprinting back the other way as fast as her magic could carry her. Time was NOT on her side.

~~…~~

Lantel tried for what must have been the hundredth time to break through his restraints. And yet again, all it got him was sore wrists and an aching back. He fell back against the wall and did his best to tend to his aches and pains.

"Give it a rest already, Lantel." Chalice scolded from the cell across the corridor. "It's not going to work."

"Oh, shut up." Lantel snapped. "You don't know for sure!"

"Keep it down, you two." Sandra sneered in the cell next to Lantel's. "I'm trying to sleep."

"This isn't the time for naps, Sandra." Chalice replied. "We need to think up a plan to get out of here."

"A plan? A PLAN?" Sandra snapped. "Nothing we can possibly do is ever going to work! In case you've forgotten, we're all LOCKED UP, and trapped in some kind of weirdo dimension!" The princess hopped up and down in her restraints. "How are we supposed to find a way back home, let alone get out of these cells?!"

"Hey, snapping at me isn't going to help matters." Chalice scolded. "We can't give up home."

Sandra just flew into a series of insults, while Chalice lectured her. And thus did the two go back and forth, while Lantel just grumbled and rested against a wall.

The fiery prince had all but lost track of time. He, his sister Sandra, and their acquaintance Chalice had been stuck in the deepest part of the dungeons for far too long. They were never visited by anyone, save for Lady Elza, and that was because she was bringing them food in her trance-like state. Otherwise, they were all alone. Not even any of the other kids in The Nexus tried to come see them.

Lantel could hardly believe it. Not a single other student tried to bust them out of their cells? Not even from Lantel's own gang of friends? Was he really THAT unpopular with them lately? At the very least, they could have at least TRIED to the three of them out instead of leaving them to rot!

Or… were they just scared scale-less at the idea of that big-muscled abomination knocking their heads around for trying. Yeah… Yeah, that had to be it. Lantel sucked in a breath and did his best to keep that line of thinking going.

Lantel shifted onto his haunches and looked himself over. He was bit, he was well-toned, and he was an ace in the combat training classes… and yet he was woefully outmatched time and time again. He thought he could take on a black dragon prince… but he never expected Rune to go BERSERK and nearly gouge one of his eyes out. Just thinking of those talons, and that GRIN… it made Lantel's eye ache. And after Lantel finally got out of the medical ward… he was hoping for empathy, but instead got dirty looks from the dark dragon students.

And then there was Cyrus… ugh, that was an entire issue all to itself. But seeing that arrogant drake mutated into a hulking beast would shrivel up the spine of any lesser dragon. And yet, Lantel couldn't be afraid… he SHOULDN'T be afraid. He was the fire prince, the future of the Pyrus Isles. His family had already taken enough humiliation in the past; how could he add to it any further.

I have to figure things out… Lantel thought. I have to find a way to break free, and get everyone to remember who I am!

"Hey, Lantel!" Chalice called. "Realms to Lantel! I'm talking to you!"

Lantel snorted and shook his head. "What?"

"I was asking if you had any ideas." The dark grey dragon replied.

"I… I don't know." Lantel huffed. "I've got nothing."

"So that's it, then." Sandra sneered. "We're stuck. Get used to it, boys."

Chalice just sat down and rolled their eyes, while Lantel sighed in defeat. Nothing they could do, but wait for Elza to arrive with their next meals.

Turned out they didn't need to wait very long at all. Immediately all three of them heard the sounds of sprinting. They perked their heads up and gazed out of their cells in time to see a dark grey blur appear before them. A few blinks later, and they all realized that Elza was now standing between all of them.

"Lady Elza?!" Chalice exclaimed.

"What in the…?" Sandra blinked.

Elza quickly brought a talon to her lips and shushed all of them. With a frantic face, she drew her three keys and unlocked each of the cell doors in turn. She sprang into Chalice's cell and set to work unlocking their restraints.

"What's going on?" Lantel demanded.

"Hush." Elza whispered angrily. "We don't have all day."

Lantel grumbled irritably as he watched the shackles fall from Chalice's body. The dark-grey dragon stretched their limbs and groaned a bit before following Elza out of their cell.

"What's going on, Miss?" Chalice asked quietly as they stepped into Sandra's cell.

"We're going to bust everyone out of here." Elza whispered as she removed the restraints on Lantel's body. "Bergan and the Crazy Aces are away. We don't know when they'll be back, so we have to move as fast as we can."

"Sounds fine by me." Sandra sneered as she pushed the restraints off of her body. "I'm sick to death of this place."

"But what are we going to do to escape?" Chalice asked. "None of us have the power to teleport." They followed Lantel out into the hallway. "And we don't even have the means of figuring out how far away the dragon realms are."

"Maybe not…" Elza bit her lower lip. "But Cyrus does."

Immediately all three of the teenagers looked at Elza like she was crazy. Lantel clasped his forepaws together and shook his head.

"There's no way in a thousand years that Cyrus is going to set us loose." The fiery prince declared.

"Well, it's not fool-proof, but we have a plan." Elza said as she whirled around. "And part of that plan is: the three of you are going to gather up as many of the students and white dragonlings as you can, and bring them to the front of the fortress."

"Got it, Miss." Chalice gave a salute and a nod. Lantel and Sandra, meanwhile, just exchanged dubious glances.

"And what, exactly, are we supposed to tell them?" Sandra asked. "And how are we supposed to get around without Cyrus catching wind of us?"

"Don't worry: Tina's got Cyrus distracted." Elza said as she nudged Lantel in the direction of the nearest stairwell. "Now get going, before time runs out."

"Fine…" Lantel sighed. "But that doesn't mean that I have any confidence in this plan…"

With a huff, Lantel marched his way toward the stairwell. Sandra was about to follow behind him, but Elza stopped her.

"Go another way." Elza insisted. "Find kids in another part of the fortress."

"Ah, yes, sure… divide and conquer." Sandra put on a faux smile. "That way Cyrus can more easily pick us off one by one."

"This is no time for sarcasm!" Elza hissed, making the princess shake. "It's the best we can do on short notice. Now GO!"

Sandra winced, and then sneered. "Alright, alright, I'm going…"

The princess turned down another corridor and sprinted away, leaving Elza and Chalice alone. Chalice spread out their limbs and took off in a third direction before Elza could even say another word. Elza sighed, and then spun about to take a fourth direction to make her way toward the nursery.

I need to make sure the white dragonlings are safest of all, she thought as she rushed off. And as she sprinted… she panted heavily and tried to keep her balance. Sure, she had wind magic to thank for her high speed, but that didn't mean her baby-belly was completely immune to the effects.

As soon as all of this is over… she panted. I need to lay down somewhere before I aggravate the eggs.

~~…~~

Tina did her best to keep Cyrus's attention squarely on her (and where they were walking) for the majority of the time they spent walking. Here and there, the pair stepped through corridors and small rooms as Tina had the burly drake going on about how happy he is in his new form. Sweet-talking him and egging him on did wonders for his sense of urgency; he barely even noticed when they went around the same corner a few times over.

And it was all for the best: Tina needed to give Elza as much time as she could get to gather up any kids left wandering through The Nexus.

Along the way, they passed by several younglings who had taken to making some of the cells their own personal rooms. They all gasped and looked worriedly away from Cyrus as they passed by.

"Hmph. It's about time they acknowledge my presence." Cyrus flashed a toothy grin. "Becoming this hulking beast was the best decision I ever made!"

"S-Sure, Cyrus…" Tina said quietly. But as they continued on their path, Tina quietly glanced back at the younglings and mouthed some words to them.

Elza. Find. Now. Careful.

The younger students tilted their heads in confusion, while the teenagers nodded in understanding. With some quiet urgings toward the younglings, all of the students made their way down the corridor to find Elza… all while Cyrus was none the wiser.

Be quick, you guys. Tina thought. We don't have all day.

Alas, Tina couldn't keep Cyrus distracted forever. As he was flexing a foreleg, he glanced out the nearby window and spotted the distant void that was Convexity, and his attention snapped back together.

"Oh, right!" He slapped his forehead. "You wanted to see me flying around outside. I'm sorry, Tina."

"No, it's okay." Tina patted his foreleg and smiled wider. "I'm glad for any time I get to share with you, Cyrus."

You big oaf, she snorted internally.

Cyrus pushed the doors of the chapel open and led Tina out into the courtyard of the fortress. Once again, Tina could see all the otherworldly sights and sounds of the realm of Convexity. Tina grimaced as she looked around at the near-endless abyss surrounding them. The vortex, the floating platforms, the ominous black structures off in the distance… it gave Tina the heebie-jeebies every time she looked at it. She knew she had to get out of here as soon as she could… hopefully, sooner rather than later.

For now… keep the charms coming, Tina, she told herself. She abruptly leaned over and slumped against one of Cyrus's forelegs. The black dragon looked down at her in alarm.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"I'm cold, Cyrus." She said wearily. "That dungeon floor was like ice. Could you please drape one of your wings over me?"

Cyrus raised an eye ridge. "It sure took you a while to mention that you were feeling chilly. We left the cell quite a while ago."

"I can't it." Tina shrugged. "I'm just cold right now."

Cyrus snorted. "You're acting odd."

"What makes you think that?" She asked curiously.

"You're getting used to your predicament awfully fast." He sneered and tapped a talon on the floor. "What are you up to?"

"I'm not up to anything!" Tina pleaded. "I just want to be wrapped up in your warm embrace."

"Hmm…" Cyrus's eyes roamed over Tina's form. She leaned back nervously; the scales on the back of her neck ached as the great black dragon scanned over her form. "You're up to something."

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Tina asked with a shake of her wings. "Look at me: I'm locked up in chains, and my magic is being suppressed. I'm completely helpless. How could I be up to something?"

"Because I know you, Tina." Cyrus declared. "You're a fighter; you like getting your talons dirty, and getting into a scrap. You shout off snarky comments and struggle against anyone who tries to pin you down…" He leaned his head down and tapped his talons again. "So why would you suddenly need to be supported at every moment? You're no dainty flower."

"Well… uh…" Tina stammered. Oh, this wasn't good; she was losing her confidence and running out of clever words to keep him distracted. Her scales ached as she fought back against her instincts to gaze over at the fortress for any signs of Elza. She needed help; she was no good at manipulation, and she knew it.

"Tina, what's the hold-up?" Cyrus stamped his paw. "Answer me already."

Tina felt a spark of anger deep in her heart; she was growing tired of having to put on a show to keep Cyrus distracted. And frankly, he hadn't really done anything to DESERVE sweet words and honeyed gazes. So, as her anger grew, Tina took a deep breath and glared back at him.

"Maybe I'm just trying to adapt to the awful situation I'm in!" She exclaimed. "Maybe I just want some semblance of a good feeling!"

Cyrus's eyes widened, but he didn't back up. Undeterred by his stoic stance, Tina stood up tall and glared up at the drake.

"You've wanted me as your girlfriend for a long while: I can tell." She continued. "I'm just trying to get you to realize what dragons who care for each other would do!" She rattled her chains. "So would you just cut me a break, already?! You already have me; if you're so insistent on the idea that I'm not a prisoner, then don't treat me like one!"

Cyrus leaned his head back, and Tina's anger was quickly replaced with regret. For a moment, Tina thought for sure that she'd gone too far; her anger had gotten the better of her at the end. She shut her eyes and flinched in anticipation of an angry outburst. But instead… the black dragon sighed and brought his head down closer to her.

"I suppose I've been a tad unfair." Cyrus sighed. "It's just… it can be hard to think straight sometimes."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Tina asked curiously.

"I've had this… itch at the back of my neck, ever since I took on this form." Cyrus said with a grimace. "I have an urge… and urge to get angry. To growl, to hiss, to get into a huge FIGHT with someone!"

He turned and roared off into the abyss; a torrent of purple flames burst from his maw and streaked its way across the abyss. Cyrus then closed his jaws and watched as the burst of power continued onward into the infinite void.

"I want… I NEED to get violent!" Cyrus exclaimed. "But every time I look for a fight, everyone always cowers away! It's even worse than when I was a weakling!" The black dragon dug his talons into the dirt and forced tiny shockwaves into it, making Tina yelp and step back a bit. Cyrus frowned at that and slumped backward to sight.

"All of my tasks for Bergan most of the time involve sitting around and helping him carry his damn crystals into the vault, or into sacks here and there." Cyrus snorted. "It's all I can do to keep my composure to come and see you; I…" He frowned down at her. "I'm afraid that I might lose control and really do something to hurt you."

"Cyrus…" Tina said nervously. The black dragon looked down at her sadly, leaving her confused; this was certainly a direction she wasn't expecting the conversation to head in.

"It's… It's not safe for you to be around me." Cyrus frowned.

Tina flinched. "Wh-What?"

"You can't stay here." The black dragon sighed. "I can't stand looking at you all chained up, or seeing you cowering in fear at every moment. I… I need to get you out of here." He turned his head around. "Elza, remove her bindings, and-"

He immediately stopped and was stunned into silence. Tina gulped; he'd finally realized she was gone. She leaned over to the side and looked around with a gasp.

"Where's she go?" Tina asked innocently. "I thought for sure she was here!"

"She must have wandered somewhere else while I wasn't giving her instructions…" Cyrus snorted. "Well, no matter; I can do this myself."

The black dragon set to work removing the various chains and restraints all over Tina's body. In the meantime, she stood completely still with wide, incredulous eyes. Just like that, she'd managed to get closer to what she wanted, all with a natural conversation. But then again, if Cyrus was telling the truth… maybe that convexity was seriously something to worry about, after all. He was having… feral thoughts? An urge for violence? And it was apparently so bad that he genuinely feared for Tina's safety.

We need to do something, Tina thought as her stomach churned. Before… before HE does something, that we'll ALL regret.

While Cyrus was in the middle of freeing one of Tina's arms, the front doors of the fortress were pushed open. Both Tina and Cyrus looked up in time to see Elza striding calmly through the doors. She held the same blank expression as ever, to which Cyrus simply snorted.

"Ah, there you are." The drake huffed as he stepped out of the way. "Here, Aunt Elza. Help Tina out of her restraints, while I work on a portal to Warfang."

Tina's eyes perked; exactly the destination she had in mind. But she put on a mask of shock as she glanced up at him. "You're sending me home?"

"Well, it's the safest place I can think of." Cyrus declared. "Now, I'll need a bit of space to make sure the portal is big enough. I… haven't exactly done this without Bergan's assistance before."

Elza wordlessly stepped to Tina's side to set to work removing the last of the bindings from her body. Meanwhile, Cyrus marched a few paces away to extend a forepaw out toward the courtyard… leaving Tina with just enough space to whisper to the wind dragoness.

"Is everyone else ready?" Tina asked.

"Almost…" Elza replied as she removed a collar. "It's taking some work to get them neat, orderly, and quiet."

"Okay…" Tina sighed. She then glanced over at Cyrus, who was scowling as he channeled the magic in his scales. Once again, Tina felt a pit in her stomach; she really, really hoped that Cyrus knew what he was doing… and that he DIDN'T know what THEY were doing.

Once Tina was finally free, she took a moment to stretch out her limbs and get the creaks out of her back. Well, at least she could move about of her own accord again. She then fell backward onto her haunches and watched as a purple aura surrounded Cyrus.

The drake muttered under his breath as he pointed his forepaw toward a spot on the grass in the center of the courtyard. He chanted more and more as the aura around his body grew brighter… until a concentrated burst of shadowy magic flew free from his talons. The energy slithered through the air like a snake, until it curled up on the grass and turned into flames. The flames grew bigger and wider, and yet they never singed the grass beneath them. Tina shivered as the edges of the shadowy magic turned a deep purple; convexity was at the heart of the spell.

Before long, Tina began to see images forming within the swirls of the shadows. Blurry silhouettes of towers and other buildings sprang up over little cottages, and tiny winged splotches flew through the sky here and there. Over time, Tina could just about make out the blue skies over a cityscape, complete with an ominous palace erected atop a mighty spire in the heart of the city. Tina's heart swelled; home.

"Here. This will get you within the outskirts of Warfang." Cyrus said as he looked over at Tina. "I'm sure that, once you're back, you'll want to tell my mother and the Deep Shadows everything that Bergan is up to."

"Uh…" Tina gritted her fangs. "N-Not if you don't want me to, Cyrus."

Cyrus snorted again. "It's okay. Bergan will no doubt figure out that something's amiss once you're gone. Things are going to be a mess either way…" He sighed as he backed up from the portal. "Well, there you are. You can go home."

"Well…" Tina glanced at her wings and flapped them a few times. She grimaced as her muscles ached. "I'm a bit out of practice with flying. Could you maybe send me a bit closer to the Dragon Spire?"

Cyrus shook his ear frills, and he grumbled in annoyance. But before Tina could worry that she pushed him too far, the black drake sighed. "Very well, Tina."

Cyrus stepped forward and held out his forepaw toward the portal, while Tina grinned up eagerly at Elza. The wind dragon held her blank expression, but she lightly tapped on Tina's shoulder with her tail to signal her enthusiasm. Everything was working out. And a moment later, Tina looked forward to see the ghostly visage of the front courtyard of the Dragon Spire looming within the portal's surface.

"There we are…" Cyrus huffed. "Now hurry; it can't stay open forever."

"Um, okay." Tina said. She took a deep breath and turned toward the portal. She grimaced as she peered into its dark depths. She lifted up a forepaw to start marching in, but then she stopped to look up at Cyrus's face again. She quickly checked to make sure that Elza wasn't standing directly in his view; it was time to buy her a quick bit of time.

"Cyrus, before I go…" She looked up at him and put on a smile. "Can I have one last kiss?"

"You… want to kiss me goodbye?" Cyrus asked in genuine shock. "But… I…"

"There's no telling when I'll see you again." Tina put on a smile. "So please… kiss me as you love me."

"Well… alright." Cyrus smiled down at her. "One last kiss before you go…"

The black dragon puckered up and kissed Tina square on the lips. She shut her eyes and let the warmth travel across her face… and also along her talons. And right at the same time, Elza stepped up from behind…

Both dragonesses unleashed blasts of magic: Elza unleashed a torrent of wind upon the back of Cyrus's head, while Tina let her dark-lightning shock its way across the drake's body. He gave a horrified howl of pain and surprise and could do little to help himself as the lightning shocked its way across his body unheeded. Tina frowned as she watched Cyrus fall over onto the ground; he sent a little convexity-fuelled shockwave through the area as he fell unconscious. Tina backed up from the blast and then frowned down at Cyrus in pity.

"Sorry, Shorty." She sighed as she wiped her muzzle down with a forepaw. "Here's hoping that you're a better kisser when you're back to normal."

With that done, Tina glanced over at the glowing portal; nothing was different. She glanced over at Elza, who sighed and stepped her way around the great black dragon's body.

"Is there anything we can do for him?" Tina asked.

"I don't know…" Elza sighed. "It takes a lot of power to strip convexity from a corrupted dragon's body. But Bergan spirited off with the majority of the convexity crystals he made, and those that remain are being kept under his lock and key; we're out of luck."

"Damn…" Tina looked at the portal again. "Well, no time like the present."

"Right…" Elza turned around at once, sucked in a deep breath, and used her magic to shout out to whoever was listening on the other side of the chapel doors. "EVERYONE, OUTSIDE!"

It didn't take long for a cavalcade of students to come bursting out of the front doors of the chapel. Lantel, Sandra, and Chalice were at the head of the crowd, while dozens of students held confused faces as they looked around.

"What's going on?" A young ice dragon asked.

"Look!" A poison dragon exclaimed as he pointed in the portal's direction. "There's a way home!"

"Wow." Chalice said in awe as they slowed to a stop before Elza. Chalice then glanced at Cyrus and grimaced. "Err, did we miss something important?"

"Don't worry about it." Elza declared. She fanned out her wings and stamped her forepaw to get the crowd's attention. Immediately the younglings fell backward onto their haunches as the Deep Shadow cleared her throat.

"Everyone, we now have a portal back to Warfang!" She declared as she pointed a wing toward the portal. The students started to gasp in excitement, but the dragoness stamped her paw again. "Now don't lose your heads; I want the white-hided children, and all of the other youngest children at the front of the group, immediately!"

At once the students struggled to reorganize so that all the younger dragonlings were brought toward the front of the group. Tina sighed in relief, while Lantel and Sandra glanced nervously at Cyrus.

"Uh… is he…?" Sandra gulped.

"He's only knocked out." Elza said with a frown. "I wish I didn't have to do it to him. But we're working on short notice here." She put on a serious face again. "Getting as many of you as I can back home is a top priority."

"Right…" Chalice grimaced. "Here's hoping that portal works."

Tina flinched; of all the times for her worries to be brought back up. Immediately she turned on her heels and gazed into the portal. It seemed as vibrant and clear as it was before; she could even vaguely make out the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the big city. In fact, she could hear someone grumbling as they emerged in a cloud of smoke before the front doors… and she saw their shocked expression as they faced the portal directly. Tina gasped; could it be?

The dragon made some odd motion with their forepaw… and in an instant, Tina found herself gazing at the shocked expression of Wraith as he beheld the portal incredulously.

"What in the dragon realms?!" Wraith shouted.

"Wraith!" Tina exclaimed.

"Wraith?" Elza repeated. She quizzically turned around and gasped. "Wraith, of course!"

"Elza?!" Wraith shouted. He stepped closer to get a good look at her and then gazed behind her at the crowd of students. "Where in the realms ARE you?!"

"No time to explain!" Elza declared. She turned around and saw some of the white dragonlings nervously approaching. The dragoness reached down, plucked one up, and quickly whirled around to stick it through the portal. "HERE!"

That caught everyone off-guard, especially the dragonling. The little girl started crying as she went through, and immediately found herself presented before Wraith. The crimson drake nearly jumped out of his robes, and he nervously took the dragonling to cradle it in his grasp as it cried onto his sleeve.

"Uh… thanks?" He asked dubiously. Elza didn't even take the time to reply as she turned toward the dragonlings and hurriedly pushed them forward. One by one, they emerged on the other side before Wraith. Some were confused, some were scared, and a few more were even crying. On the other side, Wraith struggled to keep all of them calm as he gazed around at the growing crowd.

"I have so many questions right now!" He yelled.

Still, Elza didn't take the time to reply. Not until every last white dragonling was on the other side of the portal. Soon, Wraith was surrounded by over a dozen or so mewling little dragonlings.

"Get them to safety!" Elza exclaimed at Wraith. "Move it! Double-time!"

"Alright, alright!" Wraith snapped. He whirled around, reached into his chest, and summoned forth a serious of grew orbs out of his maw. The orbs surrounded his head as he quickly chanted. Before long, he had several images of various other Deep Shadows before him.

"We found Elza, some of the kids!" Wraith yelled at them before they could even ask what was going on. "Follow my magic! There's a portal here! Hurry hurry hurry!"

Tina swelled with pride; everything was going their way. The white dragons were home safe, and soon everything else would be, too. She took a confident breath and strode forward to step through into Warfang…

Only for a bolt of electricity to surge across the portal's surface.

Tina yelped and leaped back as another one danced across the portal, disrupting the image. She stepped back and watched in horror as the portal became gradually more distorted and weird. Colors bled into each other, and the various shapes took on inaccurate forms. And it didn't take long for the others to notice; murmurs of worry filled the crowd.

"ElZa?" Wraith asked; his voice took on a strange tinge.

"The portal's breaking up!" Elza exclaimed. "I can't fix it!"

"HeRe! I'lL tRy."

The bizarre caricature of Wraith stepped up to the portal between bolts of lightning and held his forepaw out toward the surface. He fired some shadowy magic into it, but it did little to stabilize the image. As the vision was breaking up again, Elza and the others could see several Deep Shadows emerging through the doorways and onto the courtyard. And one of them locked eyes with Elza immediately before sprinting as fast as he could toward the portal.

"ElZa!" Cried Albanion.

"Albanion!" She gasped. The wind dragoness reached out for him, as he did the same… only for another bolt to spread across the image and disrupt it completely. Soon, all everyone could see was a chaotic mass of colors and images as Warfang faded away. Horror filled Tina's chest; no… no, it couldn't happen like this. The portal was working fine! How could it all just fall apart so quickly?! Why did it-?!

"Oh, dear." Said a condescending voice. "It appears that your portal home is having some magical difficulties."

A purple forepaw reached around the backside of the portal and lightly grasped its surface. A scaled talon poked into the surface and swirled around, bringing order to the colors within… of course, that order was a swirling grey. Plenty of the younglings backed away and murmured worriedly… while Tina, Chalice, Lantel, and Sandra sprang into battle stances around Elza. The wind dragoness growled as a low chuckling came from around the side of the portal.

The sounds of knives being pulled out of holsters filled the air, as the various members of the Crazy Aces stepped out of hiding in the bushes. The chuckling soon died down, as Bergan emerged from around the back of the portal to face the crowd. Immediately Bergan cast his eyes down at the unconscious Cyrus, and he pursed his lips.

"Oh, dear." Bergan clicked his tongue as he shook his head. "He's not going to be happy when he wakes up."

"Bergan!" Elza hissed. "Your brain-washing trickery won't work a second time!" She sprang into a fighting stance and snarled. "You have only three seconds before –I"

Elza was cut off when a great burst of wind hit her across the face. She clutched her eyes and hissed in anger as she stumbled backward. Tina, Chalice, and the fire twins looked at Elza in shock and confusion… as a great sound of wind came from within the temple.

"Bergan, you bastard!" Elza shrieked. "What did you do to me?!"

"Is that sand in your eye? Hmm…" Bergan glanced over at the portal, which his talon was still sticking into. "Looks like there's quite a storm in the Arcus Desert tonight."

"Desert?!" Chalice and Tina repeated. Immediately they looked around Elza and into the depths of the portal. The image was dark, to be sure, but they could just barely make out a swirling storm of wind over a large expanse of sand. And before they could even begin to question why that was so, they heard a whoosh of wind from behind and looked back to see Bergan standing behind them.

"I can see that you're unsatisfied with your time in The Nexus." Bergan declared. "Well.. farewell!"

Bergan summoned a massive force of air all his own. His cyclone came so strong and so fast that Chalice and Tina were blind-sided and knocked off their paws. They tumbled forward into the portal and cried out in alarm as they vanished into the desert sands.

"By the ancestors!" Sandra shrieked.

It was about this time that Elza had finally managed to get the sand out of her eyes. She looked around irritably for any signs of what had happened, only to find Bergan standing near her.

"Hello." He smiled. "And tata for now."

Bergan reeled back to unleash another burst of wind. But this time Elza was ready for him. She opened her jaws wide and attacked with the mightiest cyclone she could summon. Elza was mighty, but so was Bergan. Their two cyclones clashed against each other, tearing into one another to try and untangle their opposing wind forces. Everything rippled around them, and the younglings scampered backward to try to get away. For a time, it seemed like Elza and Bergan were evenly matched; she snarled furiously through her red eyes, while Bergan held his confidant grin.

And then, from off to the side, Sandra came charging forward. She hissed and growled as she called forth a burst of flames to strike at Bergan's flank. But Bergan spotted her before she could get close enough. He turned his muzzle toward her and extended a forepaw out to create a secondary cyclone; one much smaller, but faster. It pierced through Sandra's flames and knocked her onto her rear a short distance from the portal.

The surprise attack caught Elza off-guard, and she instinctively looked over to see if Sandra was okay. But that was all the timing that Bergan needed; in the blink of an eye, he appeared just before Sandra with a smirk. The princess could barely gasp in alarm before Bergan gave a polite nod of his head and unleashed another cyclone. Sandra was pushed dangerously close to the portal; her clothing rippled as it was tugged toward the opening.

Elza hissed in anger… while Lantel roared furiously.

"LEAVE MY SISTER BE!" The prince roared.

He leaped and bounded across the way to tackle Bergan in the chest. Flames spewed from his maw, and his talons were at the ready to slice into the purple drake.

Bergan cast a smirk toward Lantel as he came flying over… and crashed onto the empty ground. Lantel slid a few feet away from the portal, slicing the dirt in his way. He groaned and struggled to stand up as laughter came from behind. Lantel groggily whirled around to see Bergan standing before Elza by the portal.

"As I was saying…" Bergan grabbed Elza by the chest as an aura of green magic surrounded his robes. "Farewell!"

Bergan spun in a circle on his forelegs as fast and hard as he could. He spun Elza about his body; she gained momentum with every split-second. And then, Bergan let go with enough force to send Elza flying through the portal. She shrieks quickly faded in volume until she was barely a whisper lost in the storm over the desert.

Lantel picked himself up and tried to pick up the pace to tackle Bergan once more.

"Well, I do hope they get to civilization safely." Bergan declared. He extended his talons and stuck them into the portal's surface, as purple bolts of lightning danced across his form.

As Lantel charged forward, he watched in alarm as Bergan's convexity arced its way across the portal, making it more chaotic and unstable by the second. And then… it imploded. Just like that, the shadowy magic collapsed in on itself, until it became nothing more than a tiny speck of dust on the grass.

Lantel attempted to smash into Bergan once more in retaliation… but the purple drake simply whisked himself away once again, and the fiery prince collapsed onto the grass. And as he picked himself up… the weight of what had just happened finally sank in.

Tina, Chalice, the Deep Shadow… and his sister were now lost in a desert. And Lantel was left by himself, in the realm between realms… at the mercy of a powerful dragon and his gang of cutthroats. All with an entire city's worth of dragon students looking for someone to rely upon. Lantel gulped and steadily rose to his paws as the Crazy Aces cackled behind him.

"Looks like princy-poo's all by his lonesome now." An earth dragon said behind their mask. They glanced at Bergan. "Should we lock him back up now, or shank him first?"

The Crazy Aces all laughed again, which made Lantel shiver. He sucked in a breath and put on the bravest face he could, all while Bergan stroked his golden beard.

"Oh, I don't think there's any need for THAT." The purple dragon declared. "After all, once Cyrus regains consciousness, he's going to be looking for a punching bag to vent his frustration after dear Tina broke his heart."

Lantel shivered again as he cast a steady glance in Cyrus's direction. And all at once, the fiery prince felt as if he was in for an even worse world of hurt.

"Although…" Bergan stroked his beard again as he took a step forward. "Perhaps we could come to some kind of arrangement to keep you from gaining the General's ire."

"What do you mean?" Lantel hissed. He sprang into a fighting stance once again, even if he wasn't confident he could hold out in a fight against him. "St-Stay back!"

"Okay." Bergan shrugged and came to a stop. He casually shrugged as he shifted onto his haunches. "I was merely going to suggest revive your mother."

"Stay back or I'll…! I'll…" Lantel's eyes widened, and he fell backward onto his rump. He nearly swallowed his tongue as he looked upon Bergan incredulously. "Wh… What?"

"Settle down, Prince Lantel." Bergan grinned. "Let's have a little chat."

~~…~~

Sand, sand, and more sand. It was all that Tina could see for miles around… or rather, all she might have seen if it weren't the dead of night. She spat out some of the awful stuff and stuck out her tongue as she struggled to come to grips with where she was. Chalice was a short distance away; they were wiping more sand off of their sleeves as they grumbled in frustration.

Before long, they had a friend; Sandra landed in a pile sand a short distance away. Tina sprang up onto her feet and cautiously trudged her way over to the princess.

"Are you okay?" Tina asked.

"NO." Sandra scowled. She turned her head to the side to wipe sand off of her ear frills. "I'm miserable."

"Well, at least you're in one piece." Chalice said from across the way. "I think I left my stomach back in Convexity."

As the trio of teenagers clustered together, they soon heard a shrieking noise coming from above. They all looked up in time to see Elza falling out of the darkness and into a big pile of sand across the way. At once Tina and Chalice ran over worriedly to make sure the Deep Shadow was alright.

"Lady Elza!" Chalice exclaimed as they helped Elza onto her feet. "Are you okay?!"

"I… I think I'm fine…" Elza grumbled as she rubbed more sand from her eyes. "Ugh, I hate this blasted desert."

"How's the baby belly?" Tina grimaced as she placed a forepaw on Elza's stomach. "IS everything in one piece?"

Elza tensed up. She placed a forepaw on herself and felt around… everything was still intact. The eggs were fine. She took a very long sigh of relief and even cried a bit as she carefully stood on all fours.

"Okay…" Elza took a few deep breaths and looked around. "Alright, I need a minute to think…" She rubbed her forehead and wracked her talons on a rock.

A small fire suddenly roared to life a short distance away. The trio turned around to see Sandra grasping her tail and breathing a few flames upon it. Soon, the tail burned like a little wick, and she painlessly swung her tail from side to side to light up the darkness.

"Here… I figured you could use some warmth and light." She said with a frown. "We might as well use it to figure out where we are."

"Good… that's good, thank you." Elza sighed. She strode over toward Sandra and then sat down before the flame. Tina and Chalice joined her, while Sandra carefully sat back on her haunches.

"Okay…" Elza said steadily. "We got the white dragonlings to safety… before the portal was redirected to the Arcus desert…" She ran her talons through the sand, and picked up a few choice pebbles. "Judging by the formation… we're somewhere west of Glenhaven… stranded."

"And…" Sandra shivered as she struggled not to cry. "And my brother's been left behind on The Nexus."

"With all of the remaining students of Warfang." Chalice grimaced.

"And Cyrus." Tina sucked in a breath to keep from shivering.

The three teenagers exchanged nervous glances, while Elza gazed up at the stars. She placed a hand on her belly and whimpered quietly to herself.

Everything had changed so fast. They were so close to escaping with the children… and now, they were ancestors know where in the middle of the great desert, and those younglings had nobody to look after them, save for a prince who was outnumbered and outclassed.

It was all they could do to keep from breaking down that night.

~~…~~

Greetings, friends, and loved ones.

I didn't originally intend for the first two chapters to focus so much on the perspective of the dragons in The Nexus. But hey, what are you going to do? Sometimes story structure just calls for certain things. Besides, it was all pretty important stuff happening as part of the buildup for the excitement later on.

Tenebra ecce Veritas