Hello there everyone. I hope everyone is having a Good Friday today. And what better way to make it a better day with a new chapter of Loyalty Among Worlds. And before we begin, I'd like to make another announcement. My gallery for my story will be uploaded on Deviantart starting in April. But it will be early access, so subscribe on Deviantart or if you wish to see. Otherwise, you can wait until I'm finished making the next chapter of illustrations, and the previous chapter will be shown to the public.

Dyllan's first life threatening experience really got to him. He couldn't keep his emotions in check. He felt excited, scared, and anxious, all at once. He's excited that he rescued the chief. But, he was also scared of going up against any more giant bugs or critters. And now he's anxious and more ambitious for next time if he's ever going to get back home. Dyllan's mind kept racing all night long, he had trouble falling asleep.

The next day, Dyllan couldn't focus on his training and studies. All he could think about were the events that happened to him yesterday. Dyllan was trying to do a handstand over a pile of unstable rocks.

"Now remember," said Cronaxx. "Every great wizard must remain focused on their goals. Don't let anything distract you."

Even though Dyllan tried to focus on his training, he could still hear the spider screeches and feel the fire on his face. He struggled to keep it together, and started toppling off the pile of rocks.

Cronaxx shook his head. "You're still all over the place," he said. "Do it again.".

Dyllan tried his best and set the stones back up. However, it was a bit of a challenge when the winds started picking up. Cronaxx just closed his eyes and felt the wind flow through his gills. Dyllan felt a chill on the back of his neck from the gust of winds. The moment he stacked the last rock on the pile, it all came crumbling down.

"Stack them again Dyllan," said Cronaxx.

Dyllan groaned and set the stones back up. Tint watched his friend fumble, time and time again. And every time he fumbles, he helps him get back up. He worshiped his determination to train hard and become a great wizard. While Cronaxx lets him train by his side, he goes down to the plain fields to gather mushrooms for potions.

"I really appreciate all that you're doing for me Tint," said Dyllan. He takes one of the rocks and places it back on the pile.

"You sure have a unique perspective," said Tint.

"I'm the kind of guy that has attention to detail," said Dyllan. "Every piece of the puzzle plays an important part, no matter what."

He gets back on a handstand after completing the stack of rocks. But as he tried to focus, another gust of wind passed Dyllan and Tint. With Dyllan's mind being all over the place, he falls down again, and the pile of rocks comes tumbling down.

Dyllan started to growl in frustration, punching and kicking on the fallen pile of rocks. "RAGH! Why!? Why is this so hard!? Why must I fail at every attempt I try to perfect this stance!?" He wouldn't stop punching, even when his knuckles started to bleed. As he tried to swing another punch, Tint stopped him midway.

Tint could see Dyllan's face being washed by a few tears down his face. "Why is this so hard?" Dyllan asked.

"Life doesn't always go the way you want it," said Tint. "But if you give up today, you may not make it to tomorrow. The only true failure is if you stop trying."

"So what?" Dyllan asked. "You gonna tell me to try again?"

"I was going to tell you to take a break," replied Tint. "And eat with us. You can only do so little with an empty stomach." Tint starts to walk in the direction of their cave, and Dyllan slowly follows him.

Inside the cave, Cronaxx was preparing another brew of potions. He saw Dyllan with bloody knuckles, and a dirty face with tear stains. Cronaxx sighed, "I'm guessing the lesson was a failure?"

"Unfortunately," replied Tint. Cronaxx grabs a couple of bandages, some medicine, and fish skin for Dyllan's cuts. "He gets so emotional Uncle. He really wants to perfect your lessons."

"No one can perfect my lessons in a single day," said Cronaxx. He places the fish skin on Dyllan's knuckles, then covers them up with the bandages. "But something is holding you back. We'll need to find out what it is. Until then, let's take a break from our lessons." Dyllan got his hands treated and wrapped up, then sat down to eat.

Just then, Spots comes to the entrance of the cave, "Hey Tint, I came to give you, your Uncle, and your creature this." He gives them a scroll to Cronaxx and takes his leave. "See ya."

Cronaxx opens the scroll and smiles. "It's an invitation to the tribe's annual village race."

Dyllan darted his attention at the word race. Tint crossed his arms and sighed. "An annual village race?" Dyllan asked. "That sounds like fun."

"It's anything but fun, Dyllan," said Tint. "It's the village's long triathlon across the island." He ignites the campfire with his magic, and makes a shadow puppet to show his story. "It was said that chief's Nightoum's great grandfather, Chief Rowatin, founded this village after leaving the mainland. He swam across the rough seas after his boat capsized in a storm. Then, he reached the top of the highest peak on the island and found a spot to settle down. And finally, after he climbed down, he ran through the thickest parts of the forests, surviving all the dangerous creatures that lurk within."

"Wow," said Dyllan. "That sounds like an amazing tale of endurance."

The trio travel to the salamander village entrance once they finish dinner. The guards were a bit concerned that Tint and Dyllan were following Cronaxx to the entrance. But Cronaxx showed them the scroll. "Spots gave us the invite," said Cronaxx.

The guards escort the trio in and they arrive in the village square. They look around to see banners, signs, and special dancers all across the square. Chief Nightoum steps on the stage in town square. "Come one, come all," he announced. "Have you got what it takes to endure the treacherous obstacles in our annual village race? Sign up today!"

As the crowd applauded, Dyllan smiled. "This is incredible," said Dyllan. "We should sign up, Tint."

"I don't know," said Tint. "Only salamanders can enter this race. Plus, the only rule of the race is that there is no magic involved. And that's all I'm ever good for."

"Well, I've done a lot of things without magic," said Dyllan, showing his injured hands. "So maybe this could help you overcome your greatest struggle."

"He's right," said Cronaxx. "You have been getting too dependent on magic lately. Maybe entering this contest will help you get over it."

Tint gave it some thought, then looked back at Dyllan's pleading eyes. "Please Tint?" Dyllan asked. "You know the course inside and out. I know you can do it. Besides, I want to focus on something else other than my lessons."

Not wanting to see his friend hurt himself again out of frustration, Tint gave in. He gets in line with the other salamanders. Even Spots was in line for the race. The line went smoothly and quickly until it was Tint's turn to sign up. But as he did, a boastful Flaps came up and pushed him out of the way.

"Back off chump," he said. "There's only one champion in this race here. And it is, and always will be, me."

"Don't you think you've won enough races already?" Tint asked. "Everyone else wants to have a chance to win."

"And that's why I give them the honor of awarding them with participation rocks," said Flaps. "And why would you ever want to sign up for the race? You're banished, remember?"

Dyllan got up slowly, and scowled at the gloating salamander. "Spots gave him an invite to enter the race," he said. "So I think this is an exception. Plus, he's not banished. He's suspended, there's a difference." He goes up to whisper in his ear. Something that made Flaps flinch. "And I think you know as well as I do that you should give him a chance. After all we wouldn't want anyone to know how you failed to save your father and the other salamanders"

Flaps groaned in defeat, knowing what Dyllan was really talking about. But then he smirked viciously at the idea. "Alright, how about this. I'll let you enter the race. But only because I want to see the look on your faces when I beat you and I celebrate with grace." He gives Tint the quill pen and takes off after signing it. "See you at the finish line."

Tint instantly signed up for the race and made his way out of the village. Dyllan and Cronaxx followed him shortly after. "You think he'll be okay?" Dyllan asked.

"I'm not sure," replied Cronaxx. "Flaps gets under his skin every time they interact. So he'd be disqualified at the first sign of fire magic."

"It sounds like he's been bullied by this salamander almost every day," said Dyllan. Then he thinks back to the times when he was pushed by other students. He got tripped, shoved, and knocked down non stop, on or off the lacrosse field. Those weren't the best memories of his middle school life. But then he thinks of all the times his friends Sasha, Anne, and Marcy were there for him.

"I think what Tint needs now is the support of his family and friends," said Cronaxx. "The race is only in two days." He takes out his abacus and slides the beads. "So with the right attitude and proper training, we can give Tint the motivation he needs to win this thing."

Tint sighed in defeat, hearing all that they had to say. "Alright, I'll give it a shot," he said. "Let's get started."

So for the next two days, Tint began his training for the race. But during that time, he starts to remember all the times that Flaps had beaten him badly. As he climbed the mountain, he could see Flaps climbing past him with no struggle. As he tread through the thick jungles, he could see Flaps slicing through the fields with a swing of his arm. And while he was swimming in the waters, he could see Flaps zoom past him like a jet ski passing a large whale. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he knew Flaps is going to win.

Later at sundown, Tint was walking back home after his swimming training. Dyllan could see that Tint was not up for the race. So he walked up and asked him, "Tint, are you okay?"

Tint shook his head, "No. No matter how hard I train, or perhaps anyone else, I can see Flaps winning circles around all of us. He always wins, always gets ahead of us. Maybe I should just either get the race over with, or just not participate."

As Tint walks away, Dyllan looks at his friend with concern. He wanted to make his friend happy, but it was tough with his bully boasting and gloating about his potential victory. Then, he spots Flaps just lounging about, smiling with determination. He hides in the bushes to see why he wasn't training like the other salamanders.

Flaps watches Spots climbing the cliffs and he casts an illusion spell. He duplicates himself as a much faster climber than Spots. His illusion climbs to the top before Spots and he laughs at his reaction. That's when Dyllan realized he had to start asking questions. 'Hmm, is that how he wins every year?' So he took matters into his own hands, and took out his phone.

Back in the cave, Tint started to grumble and flicker his flames in the campfire. Cronaxx watched as he poured more cricket soup. "You seemed troubled," he said.

"I'm just so sick of Flaps winning every time. I'm sick of his antics, his bullying, I just want him to stop. I feel like the next time he boasts in front of me, I just want to -"

"Burn him? Hit him? Keep him from entering the race again?" Cronaxx asked in a firm voice. Tint had to calm down hearing the seriousness from his uncle. "I understand your anger. When I was your age, I competed with an old friend of mine."

"Another old geezer you can't remember?" Tint asked in a grouchy tone.

"Sit," said his uncle. Tint sat down and listened. "My friend bested me in so many things. I couldn't beat him at his skills. So when I beat him with my skills, I gloated at him. He felt so upset that he could not let my words go unanswered. So, he punched me. He lost his temper, and we almost lost our friendship. Had we not apologized a few days later, our rivalry would fester into hatred."

Tint was amazed by his story. Not only was he trying to stop him from fighting Flaps. He was trying to stop him from making foes unintentionally. "But why would he do that?" Tint asked. "You had a right to gloat, he always beat you."

"But he never gloated about his skills," said Cronaxx. "That's the problem with gloating, it makes friends turn bitter with one another. Flaps may not stop gloating, but he doesn't pay attention to the crowds who look at him with stern glares. The more he wins, the more support he loses." He walks up to his nephew and places a hand on his shoulder. "That's the choice he's making. What choice will you make?"

He hands Tint a bowl of soup and Dyllan arrives just in time for dinner. "Hey guys," he said. "I hope you're ready for tomorrow, I heard that the chief has a surprise for the racers."

"What kind of surprise?" Tint asked.

"If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise," replied Dyllan. Tint smirked, knowing that Dyllan did something to make him feel better. "Besides, I'm not going to give up on you. Because if you give up today, then you'll regret it tomorrow." Dyllan takes a sip of his soup, then starts to feel something move in his mouth. He rushes outside to spit it out, then Tint and Cronaxx hear him puking shortly after. The two chuckled and resumed eating.

Later that night, Lead's staff glows while the three are asleep. Dyllan dreams of floating in outer space. The cosmic storms started surrounding him, flashing red lightning bolts and roaring with rough winds. The next thing Dyllan knew was that he saw the spiders from his last adventure.

Dyllan grew scared at the sight of the queen climbing out from under the colony. But just as the queen attacked with her stinger, Dyllan didn't feel anything. He finds himself with Lerrad's staff in his hand and he pushes the queen back in the cosmic storm. Then, the staff's crystal grew so bright that Dyllan pushed the storm away with his hands. He watches the nebulas surrounding him until sun hit his eyes.

The next day, the big race was about to start. All the competitors, including Tint, Spots, and Flaps, lined up at the starting line. But instead of starting at the beach, the starting line was at the forest. The competitors were confused, Flaps most of all.

"Salamanders of all shapes and sizes," announced Nightoum. "Today, I've decided to make the race more interesting. And reverse the course of Rowatin's journey!" The crowd gasped and murmured about the change in course. "So this year, all the competitors will race through the deep forest, hike the highest peak, then swim to the ocean limit and back, completing the course. But the rule of the race still stands: No magic of any kind. The use of magic is cause for automatic disqualification."

The contestants shrug it off and take their positions. Flaps however, was stunned with the sudden change. But he acts like it doesn't matter. "On your mark!" The group was set up like the Olympic racers. "Get set!" The racers get ready, and wait for the signal. Almost everything was absolute silence. A few heartbeats were heard. And then…

"GO!" Nightoum casts a green flare, giving the racers the signal they waited for. All the racers make their way through the deep jungles. Tint journeys through the deep jungles himself, brushing thick leaves, and swatting low branches. He watches a few competitors, including Spots ahead of him. But he watches Flaps unexpectedly going backwards, advancing ahead of the competitors.

Back in the crowd, Cronaxx and Dyllan were watching from the sidelines. Dyllan watches Flaps running like he's running forward. 'Why is Flaps running like he's doing the Moonwalk?' he thought. Then, Dyllan got up from his seat, took out his phone, and started recording the race.

As the racers venture out of the deep jungles, they find Flaps brushing off a sweat and start climbing the cliffs slowly. But the other contestants climbed as fast as they could. Tint was a tad behind, but he focused on climbing at a timely matter. He climbed one rock after the other.

Before long, he found himself ahead of the racers, including Flaps. But as he reaches the top, he finds Flaps resting in a lawn chair. "Wow, it's about time you showed up," he teased. Tint was shocked as Flaps jumped from the cliff and into the trees. Tint was curious at what was going on. He had a feeling Flaps was up to something.

The crowd was seen at the beach waiting for the competitors to arrive. Then, they see Flaps ahead of the racers, like usual. But Tint was close behind him and on their way to the ocean. "What's the matter? Can't catch up with the potential champion of this race?"

"We'll see about that," said Tint. The two enter the ocean and swim their way to the buoy out in the water. Tint surprises everyone as he swims past Flaps with ease and makes it to the halfway mark.

Flaps makes his way to the buoy but then he gets his leg caught by a bunch of seaweed. He tried pulling it off but he couldn't. Just as the other racers came up and started passing him, he poured a small vial of potion from his pocket and it sank to the bottom of the ocean.

Tint starts to get his second wind as he reaches the beach. Dyllan and Cronaxx were cheering when they saw him in first place. But then, the ocean started to roar and rumble under the racers who began swimming out to sea. Flaps broke free from the seaweed and murmured, "Nobody wins this race but me."

Then, a giant sea turtle popped out of the water. It roared in hunger and chased after the other racers. The audience members were terrified and either fled from the beach or into the water to save the racers. Dyllan and Cronaxx stayed, worrying about Tint. Dyllan was still recording the race on his phone.

Tint saw the racers in trouble, but the finish line was just ahead of him. Then, he saw Flaps coming out of the water taking a breather from beating the waves. He saw the chance to defeat Flaps in the race, but he couldn't let the villagers get eaten by a large turtle. That's when he knew there's only one way to save them.

Tint gets into position at the beach. His hands started to glow a shade of blue. He uses magic to push the water back to where the turtle was attacking the other salamanders. The turtle and the salamanders felt a powerful current catching them. Then a large tidal wave was formed and it caused the turtle to flip on its back. The other salamanders were scared.

"Ride the wave!" Tint shouted. So that's what the racers and villagers did. They rode the wave until it impacted the ground. The racers swam as hard as they could, trying to keep themselves above water for air. The wave got so strong that it even knocked Tint and Flaps off their feet. The wave reached beyond the finish line, and the racers were all safe. The turtle was washed up back into the ocean, and swam right side up.

Back at the beach, all the salamanders came to check up on the racers. Some coughed up sea water. "What happened?" asked one of the salamanders. "This is outrageous!"

"I'll tell you what happened," said Flaps. "Tint cheated!" Some of the audience murmured to themselves, but Tint stood with pride.

"And how was saving the other competitors cheating?" Tint asked Flaps. "Saving them?! You used magic to tangle me up in seaweed!"

"I did not!" Tint yelled. "You just happened to be swimming over the kelp forest. You just got unlucky!"

"My kelp forest!" cried one of the salamanders. He races to the ocean to check on it.

"And yes, I broke the rule of not using magic," said Tint "But I couldn't let the other competitors get eaten like that."

"He's right," said Spots. "And I found this washed up on the shore." He reveals Flap's empty vial. Cronaxx came up to see the vial. He takes it and sniffs the contents. Despite the smell of seawater, Cronaxx could smell something else. "This is a strong pheromone of a male turtle's …Ugh!"

"Who would carry a vial of turtle essence?" Dyllan asked.

"I would." The crowd looks over to Nightoum with an angry look on his face. "But I wouldn't lure a turtle during the annual village race. Wouldn't I, Flaps?"

Then the crowd gasped as they looked at Flaps with glared looks. Dyllan then pulled out his phone and played the video he recorded throughout the entire race. "And that's not all," he said. "Tint wasn't the only one who used magic during the race."

The salamanders watched as Darrel's video shows Flaps creating an illusion of himself racing backwards, then another video of him sitting on the mountain and casting another illusion. Then, he showed the swimming leg of the race where he recorded Flaps pouring the essence out of the same vial. The crowd gasped. Even though Nightoum couldn't see, he could hear the disappointment from his subjects. "I started recording this when I saw Flaps running forward in the jungle backwards. Guess you still have much to learn about illusions, Loser."

Flaps couldn't believe his eyes. Then in a blind rage, he charges at Dyllan, tackling him to the ground. As Flaps swung the first punch, Tint charged in and tackled him to the ground. Then the crowd stepped in to break up the fight. In a blind rage, Flaps lashed out. "I should've let those spiders eat you!" Realizing what he just said, he slapped his mouth shut.

The villagers were shocked. Flaps just revealed the dirt on himself about the spider incident. Even Dyllan and Tint were shocked, but they were also satisfied that he spilled the beans all by himself. Everyone starts to murmur about Flaps' actions and then glare down at the cowardly heir to the tribe. Including his own father.

"I should've expected better from you Flaps," said Nightoum. "You have disgraced our family, you've broken the rules, and you put your subjects' lives in danger. And what's worse, is you put me in danger. I think it's time for you to learn a hard lesson in leadership. Guards! Take him away. I'll deal with him myself."

Two of the village guards grab Flaps by the arms and drag him back to the village kicking and screaming. "NO! NOOO! NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Nightoum cleared his throat and turned to Tint. "As for you Tint," Tint turns his attention to Nightoum. "I owe you my gratitude. You sacrificed your victory to save the remaining competitors from being eaten. I believe that Rowatin would be impressed with your actions."

"Thanks chief," said Tint.

"So does that mean he wins?" Dyllan asked.

"It would be nice," said Tint. "But I still used magic. It's the rules of the game. And besides, the others crossed the finish line first. All of them at once. And they broke no rules. So, I think they all deserve the victory."

"That's very noble of you Tint," said Cronaxx.

For the rest of the ceremony, all the competitors, except for Tint and Flaps, celebrated for the first eight way tie victory. Tint, Dyllan, and Cronaxx leave the ceremony early to retire for the night.

Back in the cave, Dyllan and Tint were laughing at Flaps' unfortunate loss. "That was really impressive of you," said Tint. "I mean capturing Flaps using that weird contraption in your pocket. You should've seen the look on his face."

"It's like Sasha always told me, you can always find a way to break your opponents," said Dyllan. "You just have to look hard enough."

Then out of nowhere, Spots and his family arrive with his winning necklace. "Hey Tint, Cronaxx, Dyllan. Did you guys not want to partake in the feast?"

Dyllan was shocked, "A feast? How come you didn't tell me that Tint?"

"That's because the feast is only hosted by the winner of the race," replied Tint. "And I can't Spots. I didn't win."

"But the chief wishes for you to partake in the feast this year," said Te'Kaya. "As a thank you for saving the salamanders from danger."

Tint was happy to hear that. "That's very generous of you," he said. "If Dyllan wants to see how we feast..." Dyllan nodded with delight and they all left the cave.

Back in the village, the rest of the salamander community came together and celebrated along with the two outcasts. All of them thank Tint and Dyllan for foiling Flaps' plans to keep his winning streak, and for saving their community.

Dyllan smiled at all the praise Tint is receiving. And he's more happy that he is feeling included with the salamanders. So for the rest of the day, the salamanders celebrated with food, music, and dancing.

Meanwhile, Cronaxx was watching from the outskirts of the site. Chief Nightoum came up to him and smiled. "Your great great nephew is coming a long way with our community," he said. "It's like he's finally learning to get along with them."

"What can I say," said Cronaxx. "All he needed to do was to make a friend."

"Come with me, Cronaxx," said Nightoum. "I have some things to discuss with you and your students."

Cronaxx and Nightoum take a walk, leaving the community, Dyllan, and Tint to celebrate with one another.

And that does it for this chapter. Remember, the gallery for the Prologue chapter will be uploaded to Deviantart and . Subscribe for early access, otherwise you can wait until I finish illustrating the next chapter.

Until next time, Keep on Truckin'!