"I missed you." Izzy said gently, now placing his hands on her shoulders.
"I missed you too." Yolei answered earnestly.
"I see you belong to Becenykan, then?" the boy inquired, staring at her outfit.
"Yes, I'm a mage." The woman said, proudly.
Silven was devastated. The dragon walked away, vanishing behind the crowd, searching for a moment of solitude. Yolei saw him, with a pain that broke her heart, retreating away from her and her apparent lover.
"Yolei, I have to tell you something." Izzy said nervously, scratching the back of his head.
"Shh." The woman placed a finger to his lips, "You are the best friend I ever had, Izzy. You are like a brother to me. I'll never forget all you risked to help me, and all you did for be back in Odaiba. I came back all this way just to tell you this, and look, I'm a mage!" the woman said, laughing, yet with tears in her eyes.
"Yolei, that was really beautiful!" Izzy said, smiling gently, feeling those emotive tears beggining to itch his black orbs.
"Now we can always be together." Yolei said through tears.
"Yes, we can." Izzy said, more nervously, eyes Koe as she tilted her head.
"That means will always be friends, right?" Yolei questioned, looking hopeful.
"Always, Yolei." The man said, looking at the woman confused, but also touched by her sincere feelings.
"Thank you, Izzy." The woman said softly, leaning forward and kissing his cheek softly. "Now I have to go do something important. I'll see you at dinner!" Yolei laughed, rubbing her tears off.
The woman trotted off after her sincere conffesion. Izzy saw her vanish between the white towers that were the dragon's legs. The man stared at Koe, who seemed to be smiling satisfied. Shrugging, he proceeded to greet the copper dragon the propper way, that was, until he saw Tai sitting on the dragon's back.
"What are you doing here?" the man inquired, staring at the boy with a raised eyebrow.
"Vacations!" Tai answered sarcastically.
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Silven was standing next to the lake, glancing at the image reflected on the surface. Even although he was under the appearance of an elf, Silven was staring at the face of a sad looking dragon. The water and the shadow always revealed his true self, and he hated it. Now he despised being a dragon, because he had fallen in love with a woman. Relations between mages and normal men were not well seen, because mages were hated, but they worked. Between elves and humans, dwarves and halflings, dwarves and humans, etc. All of them were not well seen but they worked. But dragons could only mate with dragons, and it would never work otherwise.
"Silven?" Yolei's voice ringed in his ears.
"Yolei, what are you doing here?" Silven turned around rapidly, he didn't want to look so eager, but he couldn't help it.
"I saw you leaving, and I just thought I had overreacted before." The woman said, smiling somewhat gently.
"It's ok, Yolei, no problem." Silven said with a smile, "Have you got to talk with Argenta?" the elf questioned curiously.
"Not yet. However, I think I changed my opinion about becoming a dragon." Yolei explained, walking next to Silven and staring at her image in the water.
"Why not? Don't you want to be with Izzy?" Silven asked the girl, looking bewildered.
"He's my best friend. But I realized I just don't love him that way. It's more a brotherly thing, you know?" the woman said thoughtfully, "Also, I want to get to know my mage self, practice spells, do magic. As a dragon, I'd loose that." The girl said shrugging.
"You are taking the best choice, you know? Being a dragon is not cool, you are slaved to your kind, forever!" Silven had pronounced those words with something close to hate.
"I don't think it is that bad." Yolei said, staring at the boy and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Not that bad? I can never be with you, because I'm a dragon!" Silven stared at Yolei very intensely, "I love you..." the boy seemed to collapse in desperation.
"Silven, that's not true!" Yolei said more loudly, to catch his attention. "Fight for it!"
"Why should I?" the man asked her, taking a step closer.
"Because of this..." Yolei whispered softly, staring into the elf's violet eyes.
Suddenly, the woman leaned forwards and placed her lips against the elf's lips. Silven was shocked at first. Slowly, he let himself sink into the kiss, tasting the flavour of comprehension and a deep, proffound union. Two lover, who couldn't be more less alike, united by the same avdenture. Two people who just met, discovering their lives together. Now, they would share those lives they had found.
"Yolei? OH...!" Kari's voice was followed by her body, "Sorry!" she exclaimed blushing and turning around.
"Kari!" the mage shouted, leaving Silven abruptly and pouncing on the woman. "You're alive!"
"I am!" Kari said, pulling away and smiling brightly, "And I'm a dragon too!" she said suddenly.
"You what?" Yolei inquired after a few seconds of cold silence, where she was digesting the information.
""I'm a silver dragon, Yolei!" Kari said with brightness. Silven looked at the two intently, in silence.
"That's great!" Yolei hugged her friend once again, once her muscles had recovered movement.
"Thank you, Yolei." Kari said, breathing deeply, "And I see you're a... you're a..." Kari stared at the woman with a confused, studious glance. "What are you?" she asked finally.
"Come on, Kari, lets go." Yolei laughed, illuminating the way with a spell that created a sphere of light.
Silven and Kari followed her. Kari was with a look of utter bewilder, while the elf was looking at the woman funnily, with a bright grin on his lips. It was odd, he looked brighter, more animated, his skin was illuminated with a pure glimmer, and his violet eyes sparkled vividly.
"By the way, where are we going?" Yolei asked, turning around and staring at the two.
"We must go see Argenta, the Queen of Dragons." Kari said, trying to hold back a laughter.
"Follow me." Silven jumped forward, and his white dragon form glided over the two girls.
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Argenta was the largest dragon they had ever seen. Sitated in the center of a large, ice cave, the dragon's head almost reached the inmense ceiling. The long whiskers floated at each side of her face, and the long, silver mane glimmered like snow. A pair of silver eyes were looking down at the group of children. Kari, Izzy and Silven were all in their natural form. Yolei stood next to Jaguar, Tai, and Koe. All of them stared at the queen solemnly.
"Welcome, Saviours, I was eager to meet you." Argenta's noble, song like voice boomed across the cave.
Silven, Koe and Jag bowed, and were quickly imitated by the rest of the group.
"Stand up. You don't have to bow to me. It is I who will bow to you if you triumph over Rakesh." Argenta said gently, almost amused.
"Your magesty, which is our task?" Kari asked, raising her head to stare at the dragoness.
"Wyrm of Night, good question indeed." Argenta said, nodding at the silver dragon, "You all have discovered your origins. Silvane, the noble daughter of Kenta, who saved Becenykan sacrificing her life." The dragon motioned at the silver dragon, who seemed uncomfortable.
"Blaze and Koe, son and daughter of Oro and Fireflash, valiant fighters against the hords of darkness." The queen stared at the two copper dragons.
"Jaguar, a peasant. Proud daughter of two farmers, representing her kind with courage and strength." The Noa shifted nervously.
"Matt, werewolf and pirate, son of two well known thieves of the seas." Argenta seemed comprehensible at this.
"Tai, of the noble race of the griffins. Your ancestors always fought for the light, and fell with pride. Live up to them." The dragon seemed specially pleased at that comment.
"Yolei, your origins are for you to find out, if you wish. But know they are of a darkness so deep that few humans can bear the truth." That made Yolei feel a pang of cold fear coursing through her veins.
"Now that all of you are finally reunited, listen." Argenta proceeded with a booming voice, "You must fly towards the Notae Nerana, the Dark Mount. That is where Rakesh lives. The man is a powerful mage, corrupted by the sweet lies of darkness. Destroying him wont be easy, but know that only one thing can take him down."
"What is it?" Tai ventured.
"That which he lacks." Argenta said with a proud smile.
"How will we get to the Notae Nerana?" Izzy inquired.
"Jaguar will guide you, for she knows the way." The dragon of light nodded with a slow move of her enormous head.
"Shadow of frozen eyes..." Jaguar muttered the prophecy thoughtfully.
"If you are all ready, then?" Argenta inquired, looking at the group hopefully.
"I am!" bellowed Jaguar punching the air, looking animated.
"Me too!" Yolei and Tai exclaimed in unision.
The dragons roared in agreement.
"I'm not!" a voice shattered the good feelings.
"Son?" Argenta tilted her head, staring at the male, white dragon curiously.
"I'm not ready, mother. I need to ask you something first." Silven swallowed, his whole body was trembling, and he looked nervous.
"Tell me without fear, Quicksilver." Argenta said in a gentle, soft voice.
"I... I don't want to be a dragon any more!" the dragon roared his words rapidly.
"You don't want to be a dragon any more?" Argent said, shattering the dense silence that had formed in the cave.
All eyes were resting on Silven, whose head was looking down, eyes closed, perhaps expecting a terrible blow from the white dragon.
"No, mother." Silven said slowly, looking slightly frightened.
"Then what do you want to be?" Argenta's voice was patient.
"An elf." Silven was now looking ashamed.
"An... elf." Argenta seemed to be swallowing the words with effort. The dragon's eyes stared at Yolei, and the animal inhaled a deep gulp of air.
"I wont ask questions about your decision." Argenta said seriously, "But I tell you, if I make you an elf, you know you will never, ever become a dragon. Not only that, but you will never be allowed to return to the island without invitation. Are you sure that is what you wnat?" The dragoness explained.
"I know, mother. I'm sure about it!" Silven was firm now, he had raised his head and focused his violet eyes on Argenta.
"Fine then, it is your wish, son." The dragoness seemed defeated. The last word was pronounced with resignation.