Hiccup kept his eyes shut, leaning against a boulder that shielded him from the world. He felt his surroundings mocking him, an endless taunt. He could still hear them. The laughter of the leaves and the whispers and mutters from the wind reminded Hiccup of his insignificance. Why him? Why did the boy who was destined to lead his people have to be such a coward?

Footsteps were drawing close to him. Merida and Kristoff's voices were heard, sounding clear as they got close to him. He would've preferred being alone right now. He hated talking about his fears. It was too late anyway. The entire class had witnessed it, so they were going to start spreading news of the son of Stoick the Vast being afraid of dragons. It would be worse once it reaches Berk. Hiccup was never fit to take his father's place.

"Hiccup?" asked Merida. "Don't worry about what happened. I'm sure everyone else is more worried about their fears than yours."

Hiccup didn't reply, but Merida and Kristoff sat next to him, making sure he wasn't in this alone.

"It also doesn't matter what they think about you. Dagur isn't afraid of the Ministry, but he will face penalties once he realises he can't take them on," said Kristoff. "You'll be more careful than he is. Not all dragons are safe to be around anyway."

"The ones on Berk are safe," Hiccup corrected. "They've been our partners for many years, protecting us because we offer them food and shelter."

"Hiccup… Why are you so afraid of dragons then?" asked Merida.

Hiccup remained silent. Merida was not going to get an answer from him today, but he'll eventually come out of his shell.

"I miss Jack," admitted Hiccup.

"Me too," said Merida. "Have you two spoken recently?"

Hiccup shook his head. "Haven't heard from him since getting here. I sent him a letter a while ago, but he hasn't replied to that yet. Maybe I should write another—"

"Don't," replied Merida. "Rapunzel and I sent him one too, but he still hasn't gone around to reply to any of us. If he isn't going to reply, why bother?"

"Maybe he hasn't received the letters, or he hasn't had the time to reply to them. Maybe they got him."

"They won't." Merida placed her hand on his shoulder, making sure he faced her before she said it. "Nobody knows the location of the North Pole. North has magic so strong that nothing will find Jack."

Kristoff tilted his head, unsure of what Merida was talking about. Why was Jack being targeted? All Kristoff knew was Jack being attacked in the Forbidden Forest in his first year.

"You're keeping the necklace safe?" Hiccup asked with a slight hint of concern.

Merida nodded.

"Should we have told Jack he has a target on his back? That his Core Magic is special?" Hiccup asked.

"What are you guys talking about?" Kristoff questioned. Hiccup wanted to tell Kristoff, but the look on Merida's face said it all. The less who knew the better.

"Long story," replied Merida. "There's no way we could've told Jack. We can't send him a letter with that kind of information. It takes too long as well. If you want, you can tell him in the letter you have something important to talk about, but not now," said Merida. "Wait until he bothers to write back—if he bothers to write back."

"So I have to wait?" asked Hiccup.

Merida tensed a little, thinking about how crucial this was for Hiccup. He had just been crying and needed to feel better about the people around him, but Merida wasn't going to give him false hope. She knew if Hiccup and Jack were truly friends, he'd write back.

"You do," she replied. "If Jack wants to talk, he'll write back."

"Whatever this is about, Merida's right, Hiccup. I know you and Jack were very close, but friendships are two-way streets," said Kristoff.

Hiccup knew they weren't wrong, but he still didn't want to believe that Jack wasn't going to make an effort to keep up with his friends.

"Hiccup…" said Merida while tapping his shoulder aggressively. She pointed towards the forest and the two Hufflepuffs saw the blue glow. "It's back."

"What is?" asked Kristoff. They got up and walked closer with caution to inspect the glow.

"A wisp," said Hiccup.

"We've got to follow it," suggested Merida.

"Follow that? I'd hate to break it to you but the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds."

"It never stopped us," she replied. "Hiccup?"

Hiccup took a few more steps to head closer to the wisp. It was calling for them, calling for him. It wasn't a coincidence this thing appeared right after what had happened to Hiccup.

"We're going to follow it… We're going to follow it and see what it wants to show us."

"Why the sudden change?" teased Merida. "You told me the wisps were always leading us to danger."

"Danger or not, avoiding it will make all of us pay the price," said Hiccup.

"You think what happened with the Boggart was a sign from the wisps? Hiccup, I know I trust the wisps, but I don't think they can do something like that to us."

"You said fate always corrects itself. The Boggart led me back outside near the forest, and here we are, standing near a wisp that's waiting for us."

"Hiccup, the wisp have no control over fate. They only guide us in the right direction."

Hiccup turned back to the wisp, contemplating if this was the best thing to do. "Are you coming with me or not?"

Merida followed Hiccup and right after that, Kristoff caught up with them.

No questions were asked from the three students. They quietly trekked through the forest until the last wisp disappeared. Hiccup observed the clearing and found something off. The Callanish Stones were back, even though he and his friends destroyed the stones last year to enter the temple. It felt like a new level had just begun.

There was no mist around the clearing, and the grass seemed brighter and greener than before. The stones were just average boulders with no carvings from last year. The main entrance to the temple was missing, and all that was there in the middle was a black dragon.

"Hiccup!" yelled Merida as she grabbed Hiccup by the arm, stopping him from backing out. "You can't just leave after following them. You won't be able to find your way back anyway."

"So what has to happen?" asked Kristoff, causing Merida to go silent, releasing her grip from Hiccup.

"The wisps called for Hiccup, so he has to do what he thinks is right."

Hiccup was silent and took a deep breath before turning back to the dragon. It was sleeping, or unconscious. Either way, it did not notice their presence. It was then evident that the dragon was tied up with thick ropes. Somebody must have tried to capture this creature. Hiccup remained on his spot, debating how he'd approach the dragon, but as time flew, Hiccup was losing the courage to move an inch closer.

"Hiccup?" asked Merida. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I… uh… I just need some time… please." He looked at Merida and Kristoff with desperation and the two nodded. He took a seat on the ground against the closest standing stone.

"You can take as long as you want, but unless you face your fears, we're never getting out of here," said Merida.

The minutes passed and the students were growing restless. Merida and Kristoff killed time by talking about last year and the year before. It was rather challenging explaining to Kristoff about what they knew about the Dark Weapon. They were instructed to never share this information with others, but what else was Merida going to talk about?

"Xander never attacked you guys in the forest. And all this time I've been avoiding him in case I became the target. I mean… it never made sense for Xander to stand up for Jack against Dagur and all of a sudden attack him and you guys."

"He and Yang were with Lunar when it happened. But I wouldn't lower my guard still. There's that thing about helping the Outcasts and Berserkers take down the Ministry," said Merida.

"Sure, but the Ministry is doing—" They were interrupted when they heard the dragon struggle. It had awoken. Merida and Kristoff turned to Hiccup and saw that he was hesitating while pulling out his wand.

"What's wrong?" asked Kristoff. They both stood up with Hiccup and saw that he was aiming his wand at two shadows appearing from the forest. Judging by the dragon's reaction, whatever approached was dangerous.

Slender legs appeared from the bushes and a larger body emerged. More legs appeared and they heard the hissing from both the dragon and the two shadows.

"Acromantulas," said Kristoff. These ones weren't normal. Their bodies were riddled with the black veins. Their yellow eyes were piercing with malice and hunger.

"Dragons are meant to be on top of the food chain. Nothing eats them," said Hiccup.

"Well does your chain include Creatures of Corruption?" argued Merida. "We need to help the dragon or else your fate will never come true."

It was then that Hiccup thought this situation was created by fate itself. He was taking too long to approach the dragon, and now these two Acromantulas conveniently appeared and apparently craved some dragon meat.

"Where's your bow, Merida?"

"Not here, Hiccup. I would've taken it if I was practicing."

"Don't worry guys. I know a spell that will work against them. I'm just not so sure if it's good enough for the infected ones."

"What are you waiting for?" questioned Hiccup after seeing Kristoff watch the two creatures approaching closer.

"I can't hit one of them without the other one knowing. And these things were crazy fast last year. One of you guys should fire a spell at one of them to draw them to us."

"I'll distract the other one before it gets to the dragon," said Hiccup, which surprised Merida and Kristoff.

"Hiccup, are you sure?" They asked with a sense of doubt.

"I've run away from things that fly and are faster than Acromantulas."

"Okay. Be careful." Merida fired the Fire-Making Spell at one of the Acromantulas. The spell created a horrible burn on the spider, but the Black Sand was mending the wound. At least they got the Acromantula's attention.

Hiccup's turn was now and all he could do was stand between the dragon and giant spider. Running between the two caught the attention of the spider. They had to wipe out the Acromantulas, if not drive them away.

"Arania Exumai." Blue light shone from Kristoff's wand for the third time and it landed on the spider, causing it to fly back into the forest. They were lucky thanks to Fishlegs. Many spells were randomly taught to Kristoff whenever he was around Fishlegs. At least their conversations weren't about dragons, otherwise, Fishlegs would still go on about them.

"Hiccup!" yelled Merida. The Hufflepuff was weaving around the stones to avoid the other Acromantula. Kristoff was trying to hit the spider but his spells kept missing. One of the spells almost hit Hiccup, but he was quick enough to drop to the ground.

Hiccup recovered from the fall and turned to the stone, noticing a nasty scorch on the surface. The Acromantula was tired of chasing Hiccup, so it set its eyes back on an immobile target, the dragon.

"Hey, wait!" called Hiccup, but the creature completely ignored him. There was nothing Hiccup could do except to try dragging the spider back. Merida and Kristoff were already slowing it down with their spells but the Black Sand was still healing it.

Kristoff was running out of energy and his spells were gradually weaker when the first Acromantula returned.

The two Acromantulas were close to the dragon and the dragon began growling at them. Unfortunately, the ropes around the dragon also bound its mouth so it couldn't fire its breath at the predators.

Hiccup didn't know what he was doing. He placed himself in front of the dragon and shielded it. This creature was most likely the one he heard on Monday, meaning it had been alone and scared all these days. How on earth did it get here and where was the rest of its kind?

"You're not getting anywhere near this dragon," threatened Hiccup. The two Acromantulas were now eager to end the Hufflepuff that'd been thwarting their plans to consume the dragon. They started to make sounds that were like hisses, causing Hiccup to flinch backwards.

This moment was memorable for Hiccup, not because of his close encounter to death, but because he made contact with the dragon. This was the first time he could remember touching a dragon. So many times had he been trying to avoid them, hiding whenever one was in view. Now, it wasn't bad. His reflexes didn't kick in. The scales of a dragon appeared rough, but it was actually cold and smooth. He felt a vibration coming from the dragon, reminding him that these creatures were alive and not killing machines.

Hiccup drew his wand in his hand and aimed it at the general direction of the spiders, not targeting a particular one. He didn't know how to cast Kristoff's spell.

One spider was just hit by Kristoff and Merida's combined spell, narrowing the number of threats down to one for Hiccup. The last spider prepared to leap onto Hiccup and the dragon.

The thought in Hiccup's mind was now absurd. He had never attempted this spell, but somehow he knew it would work. It felt like the right time, now that some powerful energy was flowing in his body.

"Energius Reducto." Yellow flames built up at his hand and gathered to the tip of his wand. A high-pitched piercing sound erupted in everyone's ears. The flames shot like a bullet to the spider and threw it to the ground, paralysed by the effects.

Hiccup knelt on the ground and was catching his breath. Merida and Kristoff finally got to the dragon and checked on Hiccup.

"That looked like what Xander did. It sounded like Core Magic," said Kristoff.

"It was, and it worked." Merida replied. "Hiccup, how did you know you could do that?"

"I didn't…" said Hiccup, still catching his breath. He looked up to them and they saw that his eyes were yellow, slowly fading back to green. "I could feel it growing inside me like a flame. I can't explain it."

"Are you okay? You're tired," said Kristoff.

"Yeah, I think… I just need a few minutes." He was still breathing heavily. "Doesn't Jack get tired after this?"

When the dragon made another noise, Hiccup got up to inspect it, despite his condition. They really weren't sure what to do with it. Cutting it loose might be dangerous as it would be foolish to be near any wild dragon. What irked Hiccup the most was the familiarity of the dragon. He somehow recognised it as if he had met this dragon before, but their kind was not common around Berk. The black scales then jogged his memory.

"It's a…" Hiccup then saw some scales lying on the ground, "Night Fury."

Merida gave him a concerned look. "I thought they haven't been seen for years since they attacked Berk."

"I—it's impossible. Of all dragons… it had to be this…" Hiccup turned to Merida with panic in his eyes. "Merida, the wisp led us to a Night Fury. The Dark Weapon is looking for their scales!"

"That would explain the ropes. It must've been trying to escape from a captor. We're lucky it managed to get away."

"But was it really the Dark Weapon? They should've found it after five days. And how does the Night Fury just happen to land in the middle of the Callanish Stones? Some weird magic is happening, and we can't just let it happen like that." Hiccup argued. The thought of just being a player in a much larger game was bothering him.

"Sometimes things just happen, Hiccup." She didn't blame him if he wasn't going to free the dragon. He had told them constantly that Night Furies were greatly feared and had a bad reputation around Berk. "What will you do?"

"I don't know," he replied. He already came this far. He was able to stand near it and make contact with it the second time, but freeing it might be the last decision he'd make. "It's awake, and it saw us help it. But Night Furies are nothing but destruction. As long as they have something to kill, they thrive."

"In what way are they dangerous compared to other dragons?" asked Kristoff.

"Night Furies normally fight in the dark as they blend in easily in the sky when flying. They are faster than most dragons and have a deadly purple plasma breath."

"And it's daytime, so maybe it'll behave differently… I don't know. Maybe the injuries will make it think otherwise. I mean, we did save its life," said Merida.

Hiccup approached the dragon and it stared back with pleading green eyes. Hiccup was so close to abandoning the dragon, but the way it closed its eyes, the way it accepted its fate, got through to Hiccup. The dragon was helpless at this point. There was nothing it could do to change its path in fate. Maybe that was what Hiccup was here for. The dragon may not be able to save itself, but what was stopping Hiccup?

Hiccup conjured the Fire-Making Charm nonverbally and slowly tore through the main ropes that caused the most constriction on the dragon. "We know no spells that can heal a dragon?"

Merida shook her head. "Currently nobody has found a way to inflict spells on a dragon—except for Core Magic, but that weakens them." Merida began fiddling in her pockets. "There's this."

Hiccup stopped his spell on the last rope that was halfway severed. Merida had the potion she was given to by Yang.

"Maybe we should see what happens before—" The dragon made an attempt to tear through the last rope with its own efforts. The outburst startled the students and the Night Fury was on top of its first victim, Hiccup.

Hiccup was unable to remain calm. His worst fear was right on top of him and with its cat-like eyes piercing through his soul. It was reading him, sensing his fears bubbling to the top.

"Hiccup!" yelled Kristoff and Merida. They both were about to help, but the dragon turned its head to them with a threatening glare. They were both meaningless to this dragon.

Merida and Kristoff could not do anything about it. If they were to take action, the Night Fury could take them both out, or even kill Hiccup in front of them, just because they were hasty with their decisions.

The Night Fury turned back to Hiccup, seeing that he was absolutely petrified with fear. There was something about this boy that made the dragon sense danger. He was similar to the one who had bound him in the first place.

Without wasting any more time, the Night Fury took a deep breath and let out a deafening cry directly in front of Hiccup. The Hufflepuff may have rescued it from danger, but there was obviously a reason behind it. The vigilant dragon began flying out of the clearing with no sense of direction, disappearing into the woods.

Hiccup was clutching onto his chest and breathing even more than before. Merida and Kristoff quickly helped him up, making sure he was unharmed. Hiccup had already accepted his fate, but the dragon wasn't intending to kill him just yet. He was so sure he was going to be blown up by the dragon's breath. Instead, he only got a warning to stay away from it, which was what he planned from the very beginning.

"Hiccup, can you stand?" asked Merida. Hiccup didn't answer and began making unclear mutters. Hiccup was distressed and traumatised after what had happened. The best thing for him was some rest.

"Merida," said Kristoff. "That wisp is back."

"How about we stay for a little bit until Hiccup gets better," suggested Merida.

"I don't think that's an option." Kristoff pointed at the Acromantula that was taken down by Hiccup. Its legs were slowly twitching, meaning the Core Magic was wearing off.

Merida nodded and they both had Hiccup's arms around them. The wisps were patient and before they knew it, the corrupted spider was further than they thought. They were only safe once they got back to the castle.

"So where're we taking him? The hospital wing? His common room?" asked Kristoff.

"The common rooms for now. Pierce would question Hiccup like crazy and he'll find out we were in the forest. Hiccup just needs some rest."

"Yeah… rest," replied Hiccup.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"You're a Hufflepuff, so you can take him to his bed once we get to the kitchens. I'm going to look for Rapunzel."

"What about Xander and Yang? You said they were the ones to turn to when something like this happens, but you also said you're keeping your distance from them this year."

"I know. I don't really know what to do either. That Night Fury might as well be the last of its kind considering its rarity. If the wisps led us to it, then it must be important. It might be the key to the Dark Weapon's victory."

"You don't think that Xander and Yang will… you know."

"That's what's stopping me from telling them. If that dragon is killed, then the Dark Weapon loses. But is that the right thing?" asked Merida.

"It's the right thing, but is it something you're willing to do? Those wisps brought us to the dragon and only us. Hiccup said they appeared to him on Monday but he ignored them. All this time and they never appeared to anyone else. This dragon isn't just a reliable asset to the Dark Weapon. It must be important to Hiccup, so what does he want to do?"

Hiccup got himself on his feet without their help. He started thinking about it. "You can tell Rapunzel, and nobody else. That dragon spared me, and I'll repay the favour."

"What happens when Yang uses Archive? She was there in Defence Against the Dark Arts, so she might use her Semblance to see how you're doing. She'll end up seeing the dragon as well."

"They found us during the day the Dusk Droid attacked, but not today. So Yang hasn't used her orb to see just yet. She's busy this year about the Outcasts, and as time passes, she'll forget this happened, just like everyone else. She can't live two timelines at once." Hiccup was now walking with them. "If Yang or anyone else asks about what I did, just tell them I went to the Hufflepuff common rooms and nothing more. It's mundane enough to make her not even check."

Merida nodded to his suggestion. They were now near the castle, so Merida went her own separate path. The bell rang, indicating the end of a period. They hurried their pace so nobody could see Hiccup in the state he's in now.

"You feel like passing out?" asked Kristoff.

"Please?"

Kristoff laughed it off and continued to aid Hiccup until he got to his bed.

"Hiccup, where have you been?" asked Dingwall. He was on his own, which was really strange considering MacGuffin and Macintosh were always with him.

"He just needed to stay outside for an hour, nothing special," said Kristoff. "Where are the others?" he asked in an attempt to not create suspicion—not that Dingwall felt like something was off.

"Divinations start after the fifteen minute break."

"I guess that's where Yang is," thought Hiccup. He was done for today, so he needed to rest until dinner. To avoid people's concern, he'd have to appear at the Great Hall to show that nothing happened while he was out.

Hiccup was now on his bed, letting the sleep take over. He was constantly thinking about the dragon, and how it ended up there in the first place. He remembered the look it gave him, but he felt completely drawn to it for some reason, like an invisible chain pulling him closer to it. This wasn't the last time he was going to see the dragon.

A gentle breeze was blowing on Hiccup's face. He opened his eyes to see a piece of paper flying above him. It was a paper plane, circling him like a vulture. He lifted himself up and allowed it to land on his palms before unfolding into a letter. To Hiccup's relief, Jack's letter had finally arrived. Jack was fine and safe. The Dark Weapon was never going to find him. Jack did not need to be warned about his Core Magic. Hiccup had an interesting story to tell in his next letter anyway.