No one said a word, staring at each other across the room. Nyal's mouth was wide open, his mind struggling to understand what the Gate Keeper had just said. The winged woman stood straight and tall, one eyebrow raised at Silas.

"I'm sorry, what?" Silas asked, looking like someone had insulted his honour.

"I'm taking Nyal with me," Elora answered as though it was the simplest thing in the world.

"You can't," Silas growled, storming towards Elora so that he was right up in he face, "He's needed here."

Elora looked down her nose at him. Neither of them spared a glance at Nyal, who was watching the scene with wide eyes and mouth. He opened and closed his mouth multiple times, trying to find something to say. Go with Elora? Where? Although he thought why she wanted him was a more important question. 

"What for?" Elora was asking, "You don't let him do anything. You're like a parent who can't let their child go."

Silas was fuming, his fists clenched and his red face scrunched up. Nyal had never seen him this angry before, he had to admit it was a little scary. "I was going to send him to Fiume, until you screwed up!" he exclaimed.

Nyal winced and shrunk back until his back was pressed up against the rough stone wall. That did not seem like a good thing the say to the Gate Keeper. Silas had gone crazy in his anger it seemed. All Nyal wanted to do was get out of the room, who knew what would happen between Silas and Elora.

"Oh, Fiume, where he would be as controlled there as he is here," Elora said calmly, sneering at Silas, "You treat him horribly. He comes in here with unbelievably important information you sent him to find, and you dismiss him like it's nothing."

"I-"

"No, I'm not done," Elora continued, "How long has it been since you sent him somewhere where he was needed? How long has it been since he did something useful? You yell at him, treat him like he nothing, like he is below you. He is a Healer, and a strong one at that. He is someone blessed with the ability to help other people and you are not allowing him to do that.

"If he comes with me, he will be doing just that, instead of dealing with everything you throw at him. It is better for him, you know that."

Silas was silent, glancing between Nyal and Elora with squinted eyes. Nyal couldn't tell if he was angry or confused, but it was the most amount of emotion he had ever seen on the older warlocks face.

Elora, on the other hand, was still going. She glanced up at the ceiling with a frown, before bringing her head down to face the two men again. "A dragon's weakness is the water of a Healer, and the only one strong enough is Nyal," she started, "I need help finding Darren and getting the Key back. I need Nyal."

Nyal said nothing, just blinked, shocked into silence. In all honesty, he was considering it. Although, Elora did seem like the kind of person to force him into it, despite his answer. The prospect of helping people, doing what he always wanted, was something he just couldn't pass up.

"Erm, don't I get a say in this?" he asked, drawing the attention of the other two, "This is my decision, is it not?"

"Look," Elora started, "I need your help, you survived a fight against a dragon. Well, you needed a bit of help. But you survived a lot longer than anyone would have, especially now."

Part of him didn't really want to leave, he loved Skodur, but what would he have if he stayed? Maris, a woman he barely spoke with; his roommates, who probably couldn't care less about him; Azel, thank the Gods; the woods outside the city, but he could be going somewhere even more beautiful.

"You're staying," Silas replied gruffly.

"What for?" Nyal asked, "What would I be doing?"

"Normal missions, as per usual," Silas answered.

"What?" he exclaimed, a disgusted sneer forming on his face, "While there is a dragon on the loose? While the Key is missing? Not happening."

He was seriously considering it, despite the fact that he would have to face the dragon again if he went. The first round definitely didn't go so well, he would be dead if it wasn't for Elora. He was certainly dreading a second round.

"You're needed here," Silas argued weakly, like he had already given up.

"You're not," Elora stated.

If he really wanted to be truly honest with himself, the whole reason he accepted the mission to Fiume in the first place was to get away from Skodur. So, why would he reject this chance? What was the point in staying?

"She's right," Nyal started, standing up straight and confident, "I'm not needed, I never was."

This was probably the biggest decision he would ever make, and it could quite well be one of the last, depending on what happened. He was sure it was what he wanted to do, but there was the niggling feeling in the back of his mind, telling him that something bad could come out of it.

Then again, something bad could come out of any and every decision.

"What? No!" Silas yelled.

"I'm leaving," Nyal replied, "What is there for me here? Working on boring missions while the world is ending? Not happening."

"You don't need to work on it, that's what the others are for," Silas said angrily.

Isn't this what he wanted to do? Help people? That was why he decided to join the Guild in the first place, even if it didn't work out for the best. This would be his chance, would it not? He could possibly go back to who he was before he joined the Guild or become someone even better.

He was a hero to some people, the people who mattered, but since he joined the Guild he had stopped being that person. His missions were entirely based in Skodur, not allowing him to branch out and do what he used to.

He had been to Riba and Voda, but only because he was born and grew up there. He had gone to Planina once, as a holiday of sorts, even if he had ended up with a job while he was there. He'd even been the Ammos once, where he's seen the dragon for the first time. That was long before he was a part of the Guild though.

The furthest he had gone as a member of the Guild was Ammos, for a short meeting with the late King Wyndel, but that was it. He was basically kept captive in a kingdom that he hadn't been born in. Who knew where this would take him. There was very little doubt, he had to leave.

"I quit," he stated.

Elora smirked, her wings flaring out to her sides. Silas gasped, staring at him with a red face, flushed with anger. "You can't!" he yelled, a phrase that was starting to get on Nyal's nerves. He had been yelled at and treated badly for years, and when he finally decides to leave, he gets yelled at again.

"Watch me." With that, he turned away from his former boss and waltzed out of the room, feeling more confident in himself than he had in a long time.

He was lost in his mind as he walked, not thinking about where he was going, instead thinking about what the future was going to bring him. He couldn't help but wonder where he was going, if he was going to see the Gate, what exactly it was Elora wanted from him.

It had barely even registered to him that he had just quit a job he had been in for years. Granted, it was a pointless job, seeing as he was only hired and trained because he accidentally ran into a Guild member who happened to see the potential in him. He regretted ever agreeing to that Guild member.

He hadn't even realised he had left the Guild building until he found himself standing in the doorway of the church, bright blue light shining down on him from the stained glass ceiling. He gaze drifted around the room, glancing briefly at each statue, before settling on Yararanje.

"Thank you," he muttered, looking straight in his stone eyes. It definitely seemed like his prayer had been answered. There was help now, Elora was there. And apparently, so was he.

He turned sharply, almost walking into the someone, and left the church. He wandered the city aimlessly for a long while, hours passing by like minutes. He passed by shops and houses and people and children, not really noticing any of them. He was too busy thinking, questioning, doubting.

This was dangerous, very much so. He could die, something he never really had to consider before he helped someone. The worst he had seen was the job in Planina, a serial murderer in the spread out city, making it even harder to find him. He was not ready to die, but stopping the Ancient Ones from escaping was more important.

He never thought he would be trying to save the entire realm. From the Ancient Ones, nonetheless. They were meant to be locked away forever, and now he was trying to stop them from breaking free.

He had so many questions, none of which would be answered if he didn't go with Elora. How was there a dragon loose in the first place? Why had he stayed hidden for so long? Why hide away as a royal advisor in Ammos?

He was so unprepared for something so important. Yes, he was powerful, but he wasn't the greatest fighter, far from it. There wasn't much water could do as an offensive element and was mostly used to defend. How was he expected to fight a dragon without being killed? It was insane.

Unknowingly, he had wandered to the city gates, which were quickly being opened for him. Shaking his head, he waved towards the guards, wandering through the gates.

Warm sunlight hit his skin, a sharp contrast the cool air inside the city. It always seemed to be like this, the woods warm and bright, while the city was cold and bleak. With a deep calming breath, he strode into the woods, following the same path he had the last two times he'd been there, the way almost familiar to him now.

Instead of going to the same place as last time, near the river, he kept going, wandering past the sound of rushing water. A rabbit bounced across the path in front of him, stopping to stare at him with wide eyes. Nyal smiled and reached out towards it, only for it to twitch its nose and hop away.

Nyal chuckled and continued on his way, until he reached the clearing he had been in right before everything happened. It was just as beautiful as it was the last time he was here. Birds could be heard chirping as they flew through the sky above him, the leaves were brushing against each other as the cool breeze blew through the trees.

It was peaceful, calming, completely different from the loud hustle and bustle of Dreeva, even though it was right next door. This was the place Nyal came whenever he needed to get away, to think, to take a break from life, just for a little while.

He sighed loudly, taking off his thick black coat and dumping it in the bright green grass next to him. He rolled up the sleeves to his light grey shirt to his elbows and took his sword from his belt. The belt landed with a thud on top of the coat, Nyal himself soon following, landing next to the pile.

Lying back against the damp grass, he wanted to block everything from his mind, but at the same time, wanted to figure everything out. He closed his eyes and relaxed against the ground, breathing deeply.

He was worried about going with Elora, he wasn't even completely sure if he actually wanted to. Yes, he wanted to help people, but the risk was so high, higher than anything he had ever done, and it was scary. He could die, he could fail, the Ancient Ones, the Zlohiel, could be released. He was dealing with the end of the realm.

Even Elora herself seemed dangerous, and not someone he would normally get involved with, but if it was necessary... By the Gods, what was he to do?

He heard a faint noise behind him, an unfamiliar one, and then the sound of a footstep, like someone was trying to be quiet. Without even thinking, working completely on instinct, Nyal opened his eyes and sat up quickly. Moving one leg over the other, he span into a standing position, pulling the water up from the grass to form two orbs that hovered next to him.

"That's not needed," Elora stated firmly, raising a single eyebrow at him.

Nyal dropped the water, letting it splash against the ground between him and the Gate Keeper, soaking the bottoms of his pants and her cloak. Elora gave him a disapproving look, folding her wings behind her back.

"You come here a lot," she said.

Nyal frowned, "Have you been watching me?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and suspicion.

"No," Elora answered, not bothering to elaborate.

"Then how do you know so much?" Nyal questioned, "You knew I was here, you knew how Silas treated me, you know a lot."

"Yararanje tells me," she replied, looking briefly at the sky.

"Then how come you didn't know I was a Healer?"

"He only tells me what he thinks I need to know," was the answer, "That's why I asked you to come with me, he told me to. He said I would need you." Yararanje, the father of everything, said that Nyal was needed? He couldn't help but feel honoured, yet completely bewildered. Obviously his face said exactly that, because Elora let out a small laugh. "Don't get all high and mighty, it's not a big deal." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Why did you save me? In the forest, why did you hurt yourself for me? Was it because Yararanje told you to?" he asked, his mind drifting back to that first encounter with her.

"No. I- I don't really know," Elora answered, making Nyal give her a strange look, "I just did, it felt like something I should do, like I needed to save you."

Nyal said nothing, he didn't know what to say. What could he say to something like that? He frowned deeply, looking down at the soaked grass in front of him, glistening in the sunlight. He supposed he could always thank her, but that seemed almost silly.

"Look," she said, drawing his gaze back to her. Her eerie green eyes were staring straight into his, filling him with uneasiness. "It doesn't matter right now. What I do care about is whether or not you're coming with me. Will you? Will you help me save Veridun?"

All of a sudden, Nyal knew the answer. He didn't even need to think about it, he knew what he needed to do. "Yes, of course," he answered, looking Elora straight in the eyes, matching them with his own intense stare.

She smiled, something that looked foreign on her face. "Good," she replied, "We leave when you're ready."