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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

TwoKinds is a production written, drawn and owned by Tom Fischbach.

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Chapter 2: Finalizing the Bond and… Dragon!

Corrections by: Ant0nius

The classroom was enjoying relative quietness as the lecture about Antique History proceeded smoothly and uneventfully, with only the teacher's voice just barely interrupting the acquisition of true silence within that place.

Everyone was well divided by the various benches occupying two thirds of the room, two long lines that were filled by students grouping in small squads.

I was left to share the wooden table with a mousy-looking student I didn't knew much about, the boy paying me little attention as he carefully scrambled over his own inkwell and pen while writing down the main elements within the lecture being delivered.

I decided against it for this occurrence, having taken the initiative to just keep attention by dividing my attention between the topics coming from the lesson and the way the textbook provided by the college would detail these very subjects.

There weren't too many new details that added more to the matter, thus by just merely following via the already available material I was avoiding needless stress over highlighting the proper bits of the current lesson.

Humming quietly, I continued to pay most of my attention over the lesson, sparing just a couple of distracted looks around to see how the situation was for the rest of my classmates.

Many were still trying to shake off the last hold of sleep keeping them from offering their best attentiveness, while there was a minority that looked already active during the explanation.

All of them were sitting by the seats that were the nearest to the teacher's desk, with Mary Silverlock having taken a prominent presence within the session by offering her own comments.

Never sounding arrogant, not even close to that kind of sensation, but always lifting a degree of inner superiority that just irked many within her own circle.

She had the popularity to have some remarks be ignored by a solid majority, but there were plenty of ambitious students that just saw her as an 'annoying bookworm'.

The one that defined her publicly and snidely, ended up 'tripping' from some staircases by the same day this instance had happened.

There was no evidence correlating the young woman to that case, but the rest of the students just decided to not test their luck by challenging Mary so directly and so stupidly.

I didn't have any reason to truly worry about seeing the girl angry at me as I had no quarrel with her, if not for minimal clashes that tended to happen once or twice in a while.

Still, the lecture continued rather calmly, lacking any odd events to stir up any changes compared to the normalcy of these days.

The lecture itself was fairly simple, and so was the subject of Antique History.

The Human Kingdom was once as fragmented as the Keidran's tribes were, with various leaders fighting each other for complete dominance.

Mekkan suffered no little wars for lands, resources, and other ambitious reasons, but humanity peaked with the formation of the Grand Kingdom.

Nobody was entirely aware what made it possible for a unitary government to exist, nor how the warring states were able to be unified so quickly, and without much evidence of a single document available to certify the legitimacy of the diplomatic process.

Everything just happened, and a Human Kingdom was born from the ashes of Antiquity, and with it also a thirst to properly exert its domain within the large landscape of Mekkan.

Relations with Keidrans were mixed, with large parts of the nation seeing those as tribes that were meant to be subjugated and enslaved and just a couple of settlements shied away from this common thought.

Edinmire was one particular instance where Keidrans and humans were able to co-exist peacefully.

Many of the people living there preferred to keep good relations with the Tiger Tribe that lived for many centuries in the forests near the city.

The reason behind this curious instances was that the Templar Order favored good relations with Keidrans.

It was all due to the fact that the different race was adept in the usage of magic and possessed a degree of natural connection way beyond what common human mages could even dream of accomplishing with decades spent studying only magic.

It was no secret that Edinmire had long been ruled by the contingency commanded by the Templars, the former leadership having been ousted by a past rebellion correlated to some issues about taxes.

The Templar Order was still technically abiding to the central administration led by the King, but its authority was high enough to easily replace the need of the regular bureaucracy.

And that was why there were advanced subjects that focused on Economics, in Social Studies, all for the sake of giving the edge for any new members to be able to join in to administer any of the towns under the Order's control.

It was difficult for anyone to arrive to these important posts, recommendations mattering far more than just merits.

Once again, the unbalanced system within the Order was highlighted for many to see.

With a sigh leaving my lips as the teacher called for an end to the lecture, the classroom exploded in a mix of rumbling and rustling as the various students started to move outside of the place and back to the hallways before walking to the next classroom.

Slow in leaving class, I ignored the panicked expression overcoming the mousy-looking companion that had been sitting near me during class, his eyes wide open as he rushed to get everything back to his school bag.

Just as I managed to quietly arrive by the doorstep, I felt a sudden grasp by the elbow as a hand was now squeezing carefully at the joint.

Glancing to the side, I expected to find trouble. Imagine my surprise when instead of trouble, I found Mary.

"Ms. Silverlock?" I inquired, genuinely confused by this unexpected interaction.

The brunette sighed but nodded. "Mr. Rockford, if you can spare some time for a private conversation."

The request was met with even more surprise as I hadn't expected any of this to happen so suddenly, but soon both our attentions were diverted away at the sound of giggling happening in front of us.

A group of girls had stopped with their steps just to stare at the two of us with quite the cheeky and teasing expressions, as if drawing conclusions out from the simplicity of this predicament.

I frowned with some annoyance, while Mary's eyes narrowed at them with a hint of irritation at how infuriating this circumstance was.

The rumor mill was a nasty business to deal appropriately within the walls of the College, and it was best to curb the nightmare before it had the chance to grow into something unbearable in the near future.

So I sighed and… smiled.

"Mary, forgive me if I ask you this but… is it true that you've refined the 'lips-sealing' spell?" I inquired with a light tone.

The girls stopped with their giggles, sparing some surprised look at the two of us.

The brunette then glanced back at me with some confusion, but she quickly noticed my little smirk and she… nodded.

"I did make some progress to make the effects more lasting, yes," She admitted with a sigh. "But why, do you think there are any willing subjects to try it out."

I didn't even need to continue with the act that the 'ladies' rushed away from our proximity, their faces showing panic and utter fright at the mere prospect of having their lips sealed even for just a couple of hours.

"Good to know," I concluded with a more serious edge. "But still, I guess I can spare some words."

She gave a quick smile and soon we were moving through the halls with a quick pace, silence reigning for some time… or at least until we were well away from other students or possible listeners.

"The Dragon Masquerade will happen by the end of this week," Mary began explaining, her tone showing some disdain. "I will of course take part as my role befits it… but I need a companion."

I blinked at that, but then I noticed that there was much more than her usual disappointment over dealing with friendly Keidrans coming in town.

"Suitors?" I asked, having learned from the girl already that there was a substantial and non-negligible group of young men trying to garner her attention… and a chance to marry her.

"There has been some more pressure than usual, and I need someone to rely onto that isn't going to mess my own chances of enjoying a good tradition in peace," She admitted with a nod. "And I know that you're not someone that has some common sense."

"I feel like I shouldn't treat it like a compliment," I hummed quietly. "But considering how the situation here at the College I-"

"Yes or no."

I sighed. "Sure, I will lead the kind lady to the-"

"Good," The brunette said while ignoring my own words, turning around and walking away from my proximity. "We will discuss about the details tomorrow morning. Next lesson will start soon."

Curt, decisive and terribly infuriating with that superior air of hers. Yep, someone had pissed off Mary quite early in the morning.

I wonder who was the poor fool that did that.

Shrugging at the swift closure of this unexpected discussion, the rest of the school day resumed with its initial normal pattern.

Two more lessons, lunch pause, and another lesson to wrap up the brunt of the labor here at the College.

I yawned a little as I made the turn to walk into the corridor that led to my own room and my ears were quick to hear some chaotic noises happening quite near to where I was walking.

At first I thought some students had messed up some spell and those were scrambling to find some quick counter to it.

It wouldn't be the first time that some experimental prank ended up exploding right onto the faces of some morons.

But while I had been so keen to believe that with my first steps, there was something akin to concern that started to lift up from within my chest when I started to track back the noise… right inside my room.

I stopped by the closed door, nervousness making me wary of any chances of dealing with some of the worst traps ever laid in the history of Mekkan.

Gulping just once, and with my free hand prepping an Air-based spell, I slowly opened the door to reveal the kind of madness that waited just for me.

…

My tension turned away from bracing for any pranks, as now I was looking to something far, far worse.

Feathers. So many white feathers were currently falling from the ceiling and circling all over the room.

I was mesmerized by the sight at first, shocked by the scene as I failed to comprehend early on that the predicament was just the worst circumstance that I, a simple rule-abiding student, could ever be bestowed with.

I finally blinked away from the dreamy moments, some chuckles emerging from the furthest corner of the room and soon I connected dots.

The white feathers. Those hadn't been created through magic.

No, those were the same that were used to fill up pillows and mattress, the very ones that were once part of my bed and the ones of the unoccupied one.

I felt my breathing taking a quicker note as my widening eyes turned their attention right up to the origin of this horrifying scene.

I took a step through the soft wall of fluttering feathers, then another as I tried to make contact with the one culprit responsible for this humongous mess.

It did take me too much to finally spot him, yet at first I felt my eyes were just playing tricks on me about the features that made up his appearance.

More chuckles were leaving by his lips as the amused individual had a bright smile on his face while rolling on the fallen feathers and pushing them up in the air.

His white hair and green eyes quickly reminding me of a single individual that matched with these details, but just as I prepared to call out Euchre from that insane display that he was making, my mouth froze shut as my eyes then saw that it wasn't skin but white fur on his face.

There was a prominent snout with a gray nose, and his feet now out from his shoes were the canine.

…

I wasn't staring at the young human man that had needed some help in not getting his arse hauled out of the Templar College.

I was staring at what seemed to be… a Keidran with similar appearance to him.

Still, the single word pending by my tongue managed to be released through the shock.

"Euchre?"

It was quiet, yet it was a sound that pierced through the entertaining state the Keidran looked to be and… the creature stopped with his playful efforts, with his body tensing up as he took to stand on his four.

I took a step back, feeling worried at the fact I shouldn't have dispelled the preparation to that Air-type spell as now I was possibly going to be in danger with the animal-like being ready to spring in action.

Some tense moments passed rather unhappily, and my eyes were stuck fixed into those intense green orbs staring at me with a semi-feral look.

I couldn't look away, I knew that looking away would have just been the worst mistake to do now.

He was growling softly, with his legs growing even tenser as he prepared for what looked to be a pounce towards.

I felt mocked by fate at that sight, as I was gifted with such an unfair development out of the fact I had decided to help someone out of kindness.

I was insulted by the fact a good deed was met with a quick demise for my part and I braced for the horrible end to come.

When I saw him finally move, his legs pushing his entire body towards me, with his arms open as to catch me properly, I tried to rush away from him, my mind screeching for me to try and avoid the conclusion of what seemed to be my fate.

Yet my hopes of survival were crushed when his arms wrapped below my neck, forcing my arms close to my torso as I was subsequently pushed on the floor with the full might of his weight.

I was terrified, I felt shivering as I closed my eyes in that moment of utter fright when…

…

I felt something warm and wet rub on my left cheek. Then again, and again.

The motion was simple, and I felt like I had already been experiencing this kind of stuff before.

Slowly and tentatively, motivated by the lack of my sudden demise, I started to open my eyelids to try and see what was going on and… I saw Euchre pressing his red tongue up and down my poor face.

Like a cheeky dog saying 'hi' to someone it cares a lot for.

I blinked. "E-Euchre?"

"Samuel," He replied with some eagerness.

"You," I tried to continued this, to stop whatever was happening.

WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?!

"You are a Keidran?!"

He paused, his body tensing up as his eyes widened in a moment of sudden shock, as if he had realized the current instance.

"I… this is a costume?"

"Liar," I quipped swiftly. "You are a Keidran."

"I can explain-"

"You, Euchre Flow, are a Keidran," I interjected, repeating myself again and… "Wait, Flow is the inverse of 'Wolf'."

"Sam-"

"You are a-! S-Stop it!"

I panicked once again as I felt his tongue press at my cheek.

And that was really how the world rolled a little faster than I had wanted.

In the Present.

Saria was giggling loudly as I finished to mention how the situation turned into, her face flashing a bright red at that.

"Y-You mean to tell me that Professor Flow-"

"Decided to destroy our room because he wanted to play with some feathers?" I concluded for her with a tight voice. "That's just the first of many misadventures we ended up dealing during our stay at the College."

Roselyn looked slightly embarrassed by this. "But I thought that Euchre was all polite and respectful."

"Oh, but he was," I commented back to the redhead. "Your cousin was well-liked by many teachers for how genuinely good of a person he was back in school , in fact he managed to avoid some detentions by how he was so nice around everyone around him."

"Still, how did you manage to avoid getting in trouble with what happened with your room?" The brunette inquired back with some interest. "Surely, someone had to have been suspicious over-"

"Back when I was studying at the College, bullying was really a problem, Saria," I interrupted once more, taking a moment to let out a tired sigh. "Pranks were a serious issue back then, and it was easy to shift the blame of any disasters to a sudden and unexpected ordeal caused by some sickly-minded fool."

"And so you did tell to the teachers that it was actually a prank against both," Rose guessed rightfully, receiving a nod from me. "But what about… Euchre's secret? Why did you decide to keep it?"

I actually paused a moment to ponder about it as the memories about the matter were particularly fuzzy right now.

I could remember some pleading, some soft growling, some wide and bright green eyes staring sadly back at me- A fluffy tail wagging behind him in a mesmerizing pattern.

"I just did," I stated curtly. "Let's just move on to the next question."

"Oh, is there something fun about that situation-"

"Yes, but that isn't a fun I wish to share with you, Duchess," I rebuked with a snort, drawing a groan from the brunette at the usage of her 'disliked' nickname.

"I'm… I will get you to tell us about that eventually," The young woman promised mirthfully, drawing a sigh out of me and a confused look from the Wolf Keidran.

"But, why would I want to know Mr. Rockford's secret with Euchre?"

And now that sounds like a different thing than it actually is.

"Because he and Professor Flow have been partnering together for almost a decade now," Saria replied with a giddy smile. "There has to be something more than just simple friendship."

"I don't like what kind of path you are taking, Saria," I chided quietly. "But I reckon we can talk about your first infraction back at school. Something about burning a fellow classmate's hair-"

"N-No. I mean, there is no need, Professor, please continue to be a kind storyteller for us."

I blinked at the nervous expression on her face, enjoying the smug emotion of having retaliated accordingly at that little accusation.

"Good to know and-"

Before I had the chance of continuing with that conversation, the doors of the living room were opened abruptly by a nervous-looking fox Keidran. One of the loyal servants to the Duchess, a free worker under her domain's control.

"L-Lord Rockford, right now there is a battle raging nearby the entrance," The young man sprouted in a bout of panic, making me tense up a little with his sudden words. "The Grand Master has been called already but- It's a Dragon, sir!"

Crap, that means I will have to spare that long-waited discussion with Mary very soon and-

Dragon.

There is a dragon near the gates.

…

Oh.

Oh no. But also… goddammit.

"What color are its scales? Is someone already fighting it?" I asked two of the more important queries in order to get a better understanding of what was happening in the nearby area. He nodded quickly at my questions.

I had a strong suspect that something was off about this 'fight', but I wasn't just going to ignore any other dangers about a true malicious dragon waging destruction around so close to Edinmire.

Still, if this is truly 'her', then a proper lecture is sure going to fix anything instead of some magical bombing.

"White, sir, and I recall hearing from some of the reinforcements trying to help that a young student from the College had stayed behind and is trying to delay- S-Sir?"

I was already standing up and moving towards the open doors with a tired sigh. "I will be back soon. It seems like I've to punish 'children'."

Saria frowned at my words, standing up from her seat while Rose kept to her own as she was surprised by this development.

"Professor, there's only one dragon that has that unique description-"

"And that is why I need to deal with that dummy and the young student she got to play 'knight and drake'," I interjected with a tired groan. "I really don't need to deal with this so early in the morning."

The Wolf Keidran blinked in confusion at that. "But… isn't it past midday?"

I ignored that correct statement as I prepared to deal with quite the annoying situation for me to be subjected about.

I had plenty of experiences with Dragons as I had already dealt with some of their worst… but there is still one I couldn't help but feel indecisive if to dislike or actually appreciate once in a whole.

I was silent while marching swiftly towards the gates of the manor where the noises of some 'serious battle' was still unfolding.

Stopping right outside the gates, I stared down as the 'terrible dragoness' continued to fight off 'the brave warrior' that for some reason just looked familiar.

Light-blue hair certainly isn't something you see anyone have normally.

Yet my full attention was directed at a certain Lady and, just as I brought my arms crossing by my chest, the Dragon stopped, with her head turning slowly towards me.

Golden eyes blinked just once, then she tensed up outright in a moment of giddiness.

(Sam, is that you?!) The voice entered my mind, the only way Dragon knew how to properly speak to other races.

I saw her stop with her playful 'rough-housing', her tail lifting up and her wings spreading in a display of genuine happiness.

(It's you!)

"Goddammit, Nora..." I muttered under my breath, the strongest of the Dragonkind eagerly rushing towards me and I braced for impact while magic coated my entire being.

The pounce was expected, the subsequent bear-hug wasn't.

AN

Thank God I've countermeasures to avoid Fourth-Wall Breakers from appearing after 'that' case.

Did you call?

No, Ambar, go back… doing whatever you were doing.

Okay and… Paraiso~!

...She is going to kill me with that much 'affection'.

P.S. The story is continuing, worry not!