It had been a few days since Vlad and Alear had their sparing match, and all of them were unremarkable in Vlad's eyes. The only thing he thought was remotely interesting was the fact their partnership was improving. It was a slow process, however. He knew how vulnerable Alear made herself back then, and it took time before she found the courage to talk to him again.

It was rather simple small talk that eventually spiralled into another sparring match, but a much less emotional one. It got as stereotypical as it could get.

Now, Vlad was walking down the island's narrow paths towards a clearing surrounded by blooming trees wearing an attire lent by Lumera. It was a white suit with a green jacket matching the colour of his eyes and slender pants. He was never one to care much about fashion, but it got tiresome to wear the same clothes for long.

He let out a sigh and raised his chin to look at the infinite sky surrounded by clouds and a lone tower poking in the distance. The sun was setting, and it wouldn't take long before the night rolled around. The rays of light already cast an orange veil across the horizon.

As breathtaking as the scenery was, Vlad finally developed some sort of immunity to the abnormal.

He just hoped it wouldn't crack.

"How are you feeling?" Sigurd asked, floating beside him and following Vlad's gaze.

"If you mean the clothes, then they're more comfy than I would like to admit. Makes me feel like I'm about to go to a meeting."

"It suits you. Lumera has quite the eye," he agreed before crossing his arms. "But that isn't where I wanted to take this question."

A groan escaped Vlad's mouth. "Is this about Alear again?"

Sigurd shook his head. "No. In fact, I think things have taken the right turn. To be honest, I was surprised by what happened as much as you were. But when it was all over, you felt a little tighter than usual."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Tighter? What are you implying here?"

"The bond between us is getting stronger. You sense it too, right?"

Vlad touched his chin in thought. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to find that tightness. His body seemed fine, his hands were a little mushy from all the training he did, and he was sitting down from exhaustion more frequently, but it didn't feel like anything was out of the ordinary.

He gave Sigurd a flat stare. "I don't appreciate you giving me a brain worm like this. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, alright," he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Do you want me to explain?"

"Honestly, not now," Vlad declined. "Lumera said we're going to meet Ethelwulf soon, and I don't want my thoughts permeated by something so… corny."

A chuckle escaped his lips. "Now why would you say that?"

"Because a talk about metaphorical bonds between people just tires me," he explained. "I know there's some truth to those words, but an iron fist is usually the best approach when something needs to be done."

Sigurd's smile faded and his face settled into a neutral frown. "You don't like to trust people, do you?"

"And you know how to loosen my tongue a little too well," Vlad said with a tired sigh.

"Again, I'm only trying to help."

Vlad hummed. "Then tell me, Sigurd. What did Lumera say to you before she entrusted your ring to me?"

The knight's eyes shot up ever-so-slightly. "Why the sudden question?"

"Because there's something that irks me. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the best company, but you still ask how I am doing, or if everything is alright through my constant bickering. I want to know why."

Sigurd crossed his arms and took a moment to choose his words. He let out a slow breath before closing his eyes. "The answer is simple. Lumera told me to look after you."

"That's it?" Vlad exclaimed with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. At first, I thought you could easily adapt since your looks don't match how you act. You make choices with your head and not your heart, but with how different your world and this one are, it's better to have a guide of sorts."

Vlad stared at Sigurd for a solid second before a snort escaped his lips. "And here I thought I was the one doing the babysitting. Not to mention it feels like I'm an open book to you."

"Don't take it to heart, Vladimir. I'm sure you'd have found your footing eventually. My job is to make it a little easier." He formed a smile. "And about the open book part? Well, let's just say I have a workaround on who my wearer is."

"And there goes my privacy as well," Vlad remarked. "Please tell me you can't actually hear my thoughts."

"No, and even if I knew how, I wouldn't. We're friends after all, and I don't see how I could count as one if I kept pestering you about what you're thinking," he stated. "Besides, some things are better left not said or heard."

"Right you are…" Vlad trailed off, tilting his head away, gazing at the tip of the tower before him. He took a deep breath and crossed his arms.

Friend.

He felt a sudden jolt from his ring finger travelling across his entire arm. Goosebumps formed on his skin, and his muscles tightened up for a moment before completely relaxing. Looking down at the ring, it was glowing a faint blue colour before the light slowly died down.

And it felt ever-so-slightly tighter around his finger.

He turned to Sigurd, who was still watching the scenery. He opened his mouth to speak, but decided not to say anything. Instead, he turned his back. "Let's go. Lumera is probably looking for us."

The knight let out a low hum and followed Vlad back inside the plaza of the Somniel. The trek was short, and before he knew it, he was staring at the cafeteria with both Lumera and Alear inside. One was staring down at a sprawled-out map, while the other was sitting with a steaming cup in her hands.

Vlad went inside and let out a quick cough. Lumera raised her head before a small smile spread across her features.

"Have you packed your things?" she asked.

"There really wasn't much to pack to begin with, but yes, I've put it where you wanted me to," he answered.

"Good, then let's get moving. Hopefully, things won't take too long before everything starts."

She rolled up the map before putting it inside a tube. Once she stood up, she outstretched her hand.

Vlad stared down at it for a moment before raising his head. "Just like last time?"

Lumera gave him a quick nod, making Vlad take her offered hand, but nothing was happening yet. His eyes instinctively blinked, and within that single moment, his body felt the same tug as last time. Before he could register it, however, he was already back at Ethelwulf's settlement.

Not much had changed since he left with Lumera and Alear to the Somniel. The only key difference was a wooden wall surrounding the encampment with a few watchtowers. People were still running around, doing manual work, but their sudden appearance raised several eyebrows.

If it was the good or bad kind, Vlad couldn't tell. Lumera was greeted with rekindled smiles while Alear only got glares. He, on the other hand, was completely ignored.

He shook his head and turned to Lumera with a questioning brow. "Why aren't you using this for long travel? Seems very convenient once you get past the initial vertigo."

"Because the pathways the Somniel had were destroyed when the war began. I can only make one focal point," she explained, not fully facing Vlad. "But let's not waste time explaining, we need to move as soon as possible."

He breathed a sigh. "Go on then, we'll wait. Or at least, I will."

Lumera's eyes shot up. "You're not coming?"

"No, and to be honest, I've done enough negotiating in my past life," Vlad explained. "I know very little about military stuff anyway. I'd be nothing more than a silent ear."

Her shoulders sagged for a moment before eventually giving Vlad a short nod. "Alright." Her gaze shifted to Alear. "And you, dear?"

Her head shot up, as if Lumera's words had broken her out of a trance. She grabbed her elbow before looking away.

Vlad shook his head. "Let her stay here with me. I doubt she's keen on meeting Ethelwulf any time soon. Besides," he extended his thumb and pinky finger to make the shape of a phone before gently shaking his hand, "you can call us whenever."

"Um…" Lumera paused as she looked at Vlad's gesture. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He arched a brow before his eyes shot up and he eventually waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing. Forgot where I was for a moment."

Despite the initial confusion, a sheepish smile spread across Lumera's features. "Very well."

Gently shuffling in place, she fixed her strap with the tube before disappearing inside Ethelwulf's abode. Vlad crossed his arms and took a deep breath. "Make sure you speak your mind next time. The worst case scenario would have been her saying you'd have to come along."

Alear flinched in place. "Right."

Vlad sighed before fully turning in her direction. "Is there still something that bothers you? You usually aren't this timid."

"I'm…" she took a moment before touching her chest with a closed fist. "I don't know how to feel about all of this yet."

"Well, you had to come out of your shell eventually," he said. "I'd wager being a lone wolf and a 'good dragon' doesn't usually go hand in hand."

"But how do I even get there?" she asked, not looking directly into Vlad's eyes. "Everybody seems to revere Mother, and she makes it look easy."

"Because she has their trust," Vlad curtly answered, much to Alear's chagrin. "And that's something you have to gain yourself to be like Lumera. But since very few here could understand your situation, you'll have it much tougher."

She clicked her tongue. "Is it even worth it?"

He hummed. "You won't know that until you get your first taste. It's the same with money. Once you get your first paycheck, it's hard to go back to anything else that doesn't earn you that money."

Alear's face twisted into a confused frown before finally looking up at Vlad. "What?"

A groan escaped his lips and he brought a hand against his face. "Basically, what I'm trying to say is, do something that a good dragon would do when the situation comes, even if it would be the last thing you'd normally do."

"But how do I know what it even is?"

"I have no clue," he said before jabbing a finger against Alear's shoulder. "You have the idea of what a good dragon does, not me."

Alear frown didn't cease. "Why are you giving me these riddles? Wouldn't a straight answer be simpler?"

Vlad returned the look. "You're assuming that I have said answer in the first place. Which I don't."

He began walking away from Alear. "And even if I did, first-hand experience teaches a person better than several lectures."

Her deep scowl eased ever so slightly while an eyebrow was raised. "Where are you going?"

"To find Hoof," he answered plainly. "Don't know where they put him yet, but me leaving him behind like this for so long probably made him anxious."

"How would you—" Alear suddenly heard a dull thud and tensed up. She whipped her head towards the sound but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The thuds became louder with each passing moment, rhythmically clapping against the ground.

Vlad stopped as well and followed Alear's gaze. "What are you looking for?"

"Do you not hear it?" she asked, not tearing her eyes away.

"What, exactly? You mean the commotion, or—"

A brown blur ran past Alear while an excited chortle reached her ears. It was followed by Vlad's grunt shortly after.

The blur tackled Vlad down to the ground and Alear reached for her sword while turning around, ready to strike.

Only to completely halt when she saw Hoof towering over Vlad, with his nuzzle constantly nudging him. Vlad recoiled under every sniff his horse made, jerking his head from side to side to avoid direct contact with the nuzzle.

Every attempt he made proved unfruitful.

"Hey, stop that!" he said before pushing Hoof away ever so slightly to glare at Alear. "Come help me out here!"

"I—" her mouth was wide agape before it closed shut with a clap. She sheathed her sword carefully before her head slowly turned to the other side. "I think I'll leave this one to you."

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

After Hoof calmed down and Vlad's face was soaked from all the nuzzling he was put under, he brought him back to the stables. With a lent brush in hand, he got to work on his steed, even though he was mumbling under his breath the entire time.

Once he was finished, he tried to leave the stables, but Hoof insisted to go with him busting a few planks in the shack.

A loyal steed to a fault, Vlad thought exasperatedly before meeting with Alear outside. She was leaning against the wooden wall of the stables, looking up into the dark sky illuminated by countless stars. Her gaze was contemplative, ignoring everything around her.

"Alear," Vlad called out, making her jolt in place.

"You're done?" she asked and was rewarded with a nod from him before he tucked on Hoof's reins.

"The rascal didn't like it at first, but he knew it needed to be done," he said while Hoof let out an annoyed chortle, shaking his head in the process. Vlad then looked down at his clothes. "Though I wished white clothes weren't so easily stained."

"Don't you have your regular armour with you?"

"Yes, I do, but lodging that kind of bulk around isn't worth my time," Vlad answered before putting a hand on his hip. "Besides, I don't even know where Lumera put all of our stuff."

He tilted his head in the direction of Ethelwulf's house. It was relatively easy to spot amongst the tents and stalls when the only house still standing was draped over by just a piece of cloth. "But speaking of Lumera, she and Ethelwulf are surely taking their time."

Alear hummed, following Vlad's gaze. "Do you think it's going well?"

"If I had to take a guess, no," he said and a frown formed on his face. "I'd go as far as to say that Ethelwulf is making it harder than it needs to be. Though I can't blame him."

Her eyes widened. "He would reject Mother's proposal?"

"Not necessarily," he began tapping his foot and his lips puckered. "But again, he made one difficult choice already. Doing another might just break his people's trust."

Alear clicked her tongue and glued her eyes to the ground. She grabbed her elbow and gave it a tight squeeze, making her sleeve screech, but before she could say anything, Vlad bobbed her on the head like he would knock on a door. She let out a hiss.

"And don't you dare blame yourself over this," he stated firmly. "That would require impossible foresight. It was in the heat of the moment too."

He tugged on the reins of Hoof and began walking towards Ethelwulf's house. "Come. We've waited for long enough."

Alear massaged her head before following Vlad. "I thought you said you didn't want to join."

"I still am, but if I can help speed things up, then all the better," he argued before grimacing. "I didn't like how Lumera was in such a rush."

However, once they were close enough to the house, they heard somebody hit the table with an audible slam.

"That's just not possible right now!" Ethelwulf shouted, making both Alear and Vlad flinch. "We don't have the manpower nor the resources to launch such a march!"

"And that's exactly why we have to move out now! You know my vault isn't bottomless, and the more time we spend here arguing, the less time we're going to have to reach the others before they get overrun themselves!" Lumera shouted back. "If you aren't confident in your own men, then it's only more of a reason to reach Selenit as soon as possible!"

"That still doesn't tackle my main issue! Who is going to defend my people when I and most of my forces would join this final march!?" Ethelwulf countered, finally allowing himself to breathe. He heaved and finally sat back in his chair before picking up his cup.

Lumera took a sharp breath before burying her head into her hands and the air became still from the silence. They had been arguing for a lot longer than she would like to admit, and while she was glad she could let her voice rest, the issue still persisted.

Meanwhile, Vlad was conflicted about whether he should join the debate altogether during that silence. It was odd hearing both of them fighting over what was the right thing to do, but what could he offer? Council was meaningless when he stated he knew nothing about warfare, and while he wasn't as out of the loop as he was before, he still didn't fully comprehend what kind of situation they were in.

"Do you want to come inside?" Vlad whispered to Alear, but she couldn't meet him eye to eye.

"I've never heard Mother this angry," she said carefully. "I'd… rather not."

He gave her a nod while a small pained smile adorned his features. "Alright."

Well, at least she said what was on her mind this time, his gaze lowered down to the ground. Words, don't fail me now.

He pushed the cloth aside, and he immediately grew tense. Both Ethelwulf and Lumera were looking at the table rather than each other, completely ignorant of his presence.

Several wooden mock-ups were on the sprawled map, with four distinct groups of blue figures, each occupying the four corners of the continent while surrounded by a plethora of red-coloured dots.

Too many, in fact.

Vlad took a deep gulp before saying, "Is everything alright?"

The question had the result of snapping them out of their trance, and they lifted their heads. Ethelwulf's eyes widened.

"Vladimir, you're her—" he coughed into his hand. "How much have you heard?"

Vlad's face darkened. "Enough to know that you two aren't cooperating."

Ethelwulf scoffed. "An astute observation. How did you guess?"

"Do I even need to say why?" he shot back while Lumera took a deep breath.

"Now is not the time to be snarky," she stated before tilting her head in Vlad's direction with a frown on her features. "Why are you here? You said you weren't coming."

"Because you were taking too long," he said. "Maybe that silent ear is something that's needed right now."

"No, it's no longer necessary," Ethelwulf rebuked. "I've already said my piece. Lumera's plans are too rash. We would be extremely underprepared if we left as soon as possible."

"Ethelwulf, we've already discussed this. We can't be on the defensive anymore. The Fell Dragon's army is growing stronger with each day," Lumera explained. "Even if you spend resources to make this place easier to defend, you'd get overrun eventually."

He hissed. "I know, Lumera. But these walls provide protection that my people can't live without. Now, they can at least have a good night's sleep without the fear of Corrupted banging at our doorsteps."

Vlad raised an eyebrow before putting a hand on his chin. He leaned against the charred wall before it suddenly clicked with him.

"So you're willing to sacrifice the future of your people to give them a few weeks of respite before being inevitably defeated?" he suddenly asked, taking Ethelwulf back. His face morphed into a deep scowl.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me, Ethelwulf," he said. "I may not know how to rule, but I do know about investments. You cannot expect profits without taking risks. If you don't, you stagnate into obscurity, and your people will be the ones that end up suffering the most."

"So you're saying that I should comply with this… death charge?" he shot back, anger emanating from his words. "That would completely destroy the last remnants of trust I have left."

"This isn't about trust anymore," Vlad rebuked, looking down at the map. "I haven't known Lumera for that long, but she would have never considered this if it wasn't our only option. Besides, your people have to realise that they can't just wait for the problem to get fixed on its own."

"I may not have fully grasped the situation yet myself, but I know I'm only alive through sheer luck with hers and Alear's help." Vlad tilted his head in Lumera's direction. "And I won't last long if this continent gets completely overrun. Isn't that right, Lumera?"

Despite what her initial presumptions were about Vlad not coming, she was taken aback by just how quickly he could surmise the issue at hand. She eventually gave Vlad a slow nod.

"Ethelwulf, please," she pleaded. "We won't make this world any safer if we aren't going to do anything about it. We have to go."

Ethelwulf's hands balled up into fists, his arms shaking from the pressure. "I'll ask again. What about my people? Those who aren't strong enough to pick up arms?"

"That—"

"Mother!" Alear suddenly shouted and stormed inside the house. She was breathing heavily and her eyes twitched with fear. "They're here!"

Lumera gasped and rose from her seat. "From where!? How many!?"

Alear frantically shook her head. "I don't know, but I feel them coming. They will be here!"

"Who is coming!?" Ethelwulf shouted and his eyes widened when he saw Lumera's gritted teeth.

"The Fell Dragons."

AN: Whoops, almost forgot to post a chapter today. I was pretty busy, to say the least, but at least I made it on time... somewhat.

Right, this chapter is a set up for the upcoming 4. This begins one of the key turning points of the story. It might not be groundbreaking in any means, but it will push the narrative forward.

As always, a huge thanks to Cavik for proofreading today's chapter, and I'll see you next time.

God's speed.