The group felt rushed in their travel as they sped toward the east. The mountains sat a day's journey ahead of them. As they persisted at their heightened pace, Dart felt that he could keep going until sundown or beyond, but he quickly found that Lavitz and Shana were not quite so hardy. He marveled at his own stamina and how much it had increased since that strange event in Hoax.

Several hours into the journey, Lavitz requested a short break. They stopped along the side of the small road, grateful for the shade of the trees on the unusually hot day. However, Dart felt no fatigue, and he paced while Shana and Lavitz rested. Rose merely leaned against a tree, eyeing Dart's movements like a cat waiting to pounce on its prey. It made him feel uncomfortable.

"Dart," she said after several minutes of an uneasy silence. He turned to her. "Obviously you don't need rest. The power of a dragoon keeps us strong long after others have died of exhaustion. We should put this time to good use."

"What do you mean?" asked Dart timidly.

"Training, obviously. You don't know the first thing about how to fight as a Dragoon. Bursting with power like you did in Hoax isn't enough if you want to fight a dragon." Rose's eyes remained focused on him, leaving him feeling cut open and exposed. Anything was better than this staring contest that she seemed so determined to win.

"Alright," said Dart slowly. "Um... How do we do this?"

Rose stepped out into the road and drew her sword, assuming a defensive stance, before indicating that he follow suit. Hesitantly, Dart did so. He was keenly aware of Lavitz and Shana watching their every move.

"We'll start with the basics: dragoon transformation," said Rose. "It is almost impossible for a dragoon to transform outside of battle. We are hard-wired for it. You can feel the tension rising between you and your opponent, and when you are under attack, you are able to transform." She stepped forward suddenly, so fast that Dart was in no way prepared for it. He struggled to lift his sword in time to block her lunge, but failed. Her sword stopped a mere inch from his throat, leaving him breathless, heart pounding.

"Dart!" said Rose sternly, lowering her sword and returning to her position. "Come on! You're better than this. Fight back!"

Bewildered, Dart swallowed and raised his sword. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes, focused on her every move. She attacked again, this time just as fast, but this time Dart was ready. He parried her blow, then swung from the right. But Rose's skills far surpassed his own. She deftly blocked and slipped her rapier across his arm, calling forth a red stream of blood. Dart cried in pain and backed away quickly, grasping the wound with his left hand. He cursed and turned to Rose.

"I thought we were sparring!" he cried angrily. "Or are you actually trying to gut me before we even get to the dragon?"

Rose's eyes narrowed, and Dart was instantly regretful of his outburst, though he made every effort to hide his remorse.

"Do you think a dragon is going to be merciful?" asked Rose. Her voice was strangely calm, but its coldness chilled Dart to his core. "I think not. Stop redirecting your anger. You're not angry at me; you're angry at yourself for being slow. Stop being a child and focus!"

More than anything else, Dart hated that she was right. Swearing again, he spun around before raising his sword to prepare himself. His anger burned inside him, flaring up as he glared at Rose. She seemed almost amused by his reaction, fanning the flames.

Rose attacked again, this time arcing from her left. He lifted his sword clumsily and blocked the attack, grateful for the weight of his broadsword to help repel her meager rapier. They exchanged several more blows, including one that lightly grazed Dart's calf, and with each successive clang of metal, Dart grew more and more irritated. He struggled with everything within him to keep up with her, and yet she didn't seem to be putting in any extra effort. The piercing pain of the cut on his arm fought against his focus, leaving him even more open to attack. His rage built until he screamed in frustration and carelessly brought his sword down on Rose with two hands.

But then something happened.

He saw a red flash of light, and flames burst out in in all directions. Much to his pleasure, he noticed Rose stumble backward to escape the intense heat. He allowed himself to be overcome by this power, and moments later, he stood breathing heavily, the same warmth flooding his soul that he had experienced in Hoax. He looked down at his sword, which was now longer, stronger, and more beautiful than before. The hilt and handguard were tinted red, and the pommel gleamed with a bright red jewel. Once again, he was covered in that strange armor, somehow stronger than steel and lighter than clothing. He looked up at Rose as a smile broke out on his face, and he promptly turned to Shana and Lavitz. They stared at him, open-mouthed, with profound pride and excitement.

"Excellent," said Rose calmly. "Now we can truly begin."

She stepped back and closed her eyes, focusing. Then a split second later, that strange dark light flashed from the gem in her armor, and blackness erupted around her. She was enveloped in a cloud of darkness, and watching her filled Dart with a strange terror. This time he was the one stepping back, placing distance between him and the terrible feeling of despair that seemed to radiate from Rose. Another second later, she was transformed before him, hovering inches off the ground, wings beating to a pulsing rhythm. He took a moment to catch his breath as the feeling of terror passed.

"You must learn to fly and be comfortable in the air," instructed Rose as she slowly lifted herself higher, resting about eight feet off the ground. Dart watched her anxiously, strongly desiring to keep his feet firmly planted where they were.

"How do I do that?" he asked.

"The same way you transformed. Will it to be so."

That answer was frustratingly simple. Dart willed to be on the ground, not in the air. He inhaled sharply and jumped, closing his eyes. A moment later, he felt his feet hitting the hard earth.

"I didn't say jump!" shouted Rose. "I said fly!" Dart opened his eyes and saw Rose rushing toward him. He felt his heart stop and heard himself yelp as she grabbed his arm and dragged him into the air. Looking down, he saw the ground fall further and further from him until he was at least a hundred feet up. His heart beat wildly, and he found himself clinging to Rose's arm for dear life. Far away on the ground, he saw Shana stand up and peer after him.

Then with a sickening jolt, Rose let go. Paralyzed by fear, Dart closed his eyes as the wind rushed past his ears. He tried to focus on what Rose had said, willing flight upon himself, but he all he could sense was the ground growing nearer. Just as he was about to meet the hard earth, he felt a burst of heat from within, and a strange confidence washed over him. He opened his eyes, and stopped.

He was not sure how he managed it, but he slowed his fall until he came to a complete stop a few feet above the road. He felt exhilarated and pushed back against gravity to shoot himself into the sky. He came to hover only a few feet from Rose, beaming with pride and excitement. Despite his success, he kept his eyes trained on Rose, as he was all too aware of the great empty void beneath him. He willed his stomach to calm itself.

"Good," she said simply. "You're a fast learner. Now, I must teach you how to fight."

They returned closer to the ground, for which Dart was grateful, but remained a few feet above it.

Hesitantly, Dart asked, "Isn't fighting as a dragoon basically the same as normal fighting?"

"Sure, except it's not," scorned Rose. "Not only do you have a third dimension to work with, but you also have the power of magic that you can use. This is the next thing we will focus on."

"Magic?" asked Dart suspiciously. He was both concerned and excited at the prospect.

"Yes, magic." Rose held out her hand, as if she were grasping a nonexistent object, and a second later there appeared a ball of dark energy. Rose continued, "I am the dark dragoon, and have control over darkness. I can create darkness, pushing light away, and use it to instill terror within my enemies." She closed her hand, and the energy vanished. "You, however, are the red-eyed dragoon, and you have control over fire. You can generate it, and you can control it. You will find that the fire you produce burns much hotter than any natural fire. You can easily melt any metal in the palm of your hand while you are in dragoon form. As long as you maintain focus on that fire, it will continue to burn. Hold out your hand."

Dart did so. The red gleam of his armor flashed in the bright sunlight.

"Now, I want you to focus. Imagine a ball of flame sitting there in your hand, much like I just had darkness sitting in mine. Will it to happen."

A long minute passed as he stared at his, trying to picture a tiny fire sitting there. He sighed dramatically.

"It's not working!" he said angrily.

Now it was Rose's turn to sigh. Eyes closed, as if she were trying to control her own frustrations, she said, "Dart, stop acting like a child and focus."

Returning his gaze to his outstretched hand, Dart took a deep breath to calm himself. If Rose could do it, then so could he. He glanced over to Shana and Lavitz, who were both still watching him avidly. Shana looked concerned; she must be worried. He remembered what Lavitz had said earlier that week about her trying to be strong for him, and he wished that he could let her know that everything was going to be okay. But if he were honest with himself, he had no idea what was going to happen from now on. Would everything truly be okay? Any number of unpredictable things could happen while fighting a dragon. If Shana were close by during the battle, and something happened to her, he would never forgive himself. He suddenly realized that, if she were really going with them, the best way to protect her was to fight and learn how to control this newfound power. Being a dragoon was the new fate that he had decided to pursue, and he was going to do all he could to be the best. For the people of Serdio, for Lavitz, and especially for Shana.

Just then a fire erupted in his hand, and he laughed with joy and relief. He watched it burn for several moments, feeling its warmth on his face, before Rose interrupted his focus and it vanished.

"Excellent, Dart," she said. "Whatever it was that you found just now, cling to that. All dragoon power stems from a drive for battle. The more powerful that drive, the more powerful the dragoon. Find what it is that keeps you fighting, and you will be strong."

Dart cast another glance over to Shana and then asked, "What's next?"

"Now," said Rose, "I want you to throw a fireball at me."

"What?"

"You heard me. Now go. Make a ball of fire like you just did, and throw it at me."

Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, Dart focused on his hand again. Within moments, he had created another tongue of flame. Glancing back and forth between it and Rose, he lined up a shot and threw it with all his might. He watched it fly through the air faster than he thought possible, straight toward Rose. For a moment, he was afraid that he might hurt her, but at the last minute, she created her own ball of dark energy and hurled it toward the flames. The two attacks met in midair, fighting each other for a split second, before they exploded in burst of dark purple and red.

"I'm impressed," said Rose coolly. "That's the first thing you've succeeded at on the first try."

"Thank you?" said Dart, unsure of whether he had been complimented.

"Your most powerful attacks are those based on your magic. The possibilities are endless, and limited only by your own imagination. You are far from where I would have you, but you may be able to survive."

Rose drifted toward the ground and alighted on the road, Dart following. A flash of light temporarily blinded him, and a moment later Rose was back to her normal self. He stood awkwardly, waiting to see if anything would happen so that he could go through this process, until finally Rose intervened.

"To transform back to your human form," she began, "you must be at peace. Once the danger is passed, imagine yourself becoming human again."

Closing his eyes, Dart focused on his surroundings. He felt the sun beating down on his face and heard the wind whispering through the trees. He could smell the fresh scent of wildflowers. He calmed, and his heartbeat slowed. Taking deep breaths, he did as Rose asked and imagined himself as he usually was. Suddenly there was a flash of light, and he felt the sudden weight of his own armor again. Opening his eyes, he found himself back to normal.

Once again, he felt a sharp pain in his forearm where Rose's sword had pierced him. Bewildered, he asked, "Why is this hurting so much now?" Fresh drops of blood oozed out along the mark.

Rose answered, "While in dragoon form, your battle senses are heightened and your sense of pain is dulled. It's perfectly normal to not even know that you got hurt until you transform back."

"That seems dangerous," remarked Dart. "What if you're fatally wounded and you don't even know?"

"No, it's not like that," said Rose, shaking her head. "You can still feel the pain, but its severity is greatly lessened. Minor wounds like that one are virtually unnoticeable, but if you were to get a broken bone or worse, you would be able to tell. It's most unpleasant to transform back in some of the worst situations."

"It's unpleasant now," murmured Dart, and he turned back to Lavitz and Shana to find a bandage for his wound. He was unsure how he felt about all this. Once again, he was angry with himself for not seeking out Rose while they were in Hoax, but there was little he could do about that now. He only hoped that it would be enough to fight a dragon.

Author Note: As is the nature of the beast, this is where I start taking some creative liberties with dragoons. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to transfer such a cut-and-dry video game combat system into prose, so bear with me. I did my best to maintain the general idea of how elements work, and I added in some other stuff (not in the game) that will come in later. Keep your eyes peeled for some of the more classic moves, though! I love this game as much as, or maybe more than, you do, and I'm really trying to do it justice.