I bit my lip in concentration as I carefully poured a bright baby blue potion at the base of a huge rock. I took great care not to splash it upon myself as I had little wish to go up in flames. According to Ralph's instructions, I should set the potion on fire and the reaction would cause an explosion. This was actually our fifth attempt. All the previous ones had some minor... drawbacks. I frowned as I thought back to the one that burst in flames in my hands as soon as I uncorked the bottle. Ralph claimed it must have had an unforeseen reaction with the fresh mountain air. I was merely glad I was on good terms with fire and it decided not to burn me too badly. Elek would have had a fit if he had seen me all scorched and black from fumes. I sighed as I watched the last droplet of the blue goo sizzle down to the ground. I missed Elek. He was a good friend. Is a good friend. And will remain as such, despite his obvious hatred for demons and relentless pursuit of my imminent death. Huh.

These days, I was slowly coming to terms with my newfound race and, strange as it may sound, it was Pete's lesson that had helped me. I had heeded his advice and decided to just let it go. He was right, after all. I had always held back as my fire affinity would scare other people. Even back in the Academy, the teachers would look at me funny and the other students would whisper and giggle behind my back. I tried to not let it get to me, but it did, nevertheless. There were only a few fire-unrelated spells I could do proficiently and I had worked night and day to learn them, pushing myself to the very edge of my capabilities. On the contrary, fire came easily to me, too easily. According to the Academy teachers, fire was the hardest to control out of all the elements. There were few magicians that could specialize in this fiery element – it simply did not listen to their calls, not to mention that fire magic was frowned upon and deemed to be of demonic origins. To me, however, fire always came unbidden. I would often wake in bed, flames hovering above me, dancing around as if inviting me to play with them. Whenever I did, it would throw my family into a hysterical fit. No wonder they were happy to give me away to the Academy.

My strangely comforting, yet, deadly fire. As a child, I was intrigued. In my teens, I became afraid. And only now was I coming to terms with it. Curiously, the fire seemed to know that. I had woken up last night with fire bouncing and leaping in my room as if in celebration. It was a sight to behold and for a moment I had freaked out. But then I realized, it meant no harm, not to me, anyways. Friendly fire? Now I've heard of everything, I had mused back then. I had wondered if it was my demonic blood or my new status as a dragon that caused this strange relation and then decided I did not care. I would take what was given without much complaint. A curse or a gift, it was a skill of mine now and I would put it to good use.

The parting words of Tanek the Bubble also taught me to accept things as they came. It was hard knowing I could not change what happened and if the future I was to see in my visions would be as bleak as the past, it was the last thing I'd want to observe. Yet, there was little I could do but come to terms with it and I had decided to cross that bridge when I came to it.

Smiling in determination I nodded my head and took a step back to survey my work. A large blue puddle was stretching along the rock, fizzling and sputtering, bubbles rising and popping constantly. Eyeing the slightly hostile looking goo suspiciously, I drew back slowly, musing if this one was gonna blow up in my face somehow, too. I wondered why Ralph's concoctions seemed to constantly backfire in the weirdest of ways. A few days ago, the elf had gleefully given me a bag full of various potions of his own making claiming they would be irreplaceable in a battlefield. I did not have the heart to tell him I was too scared to try them out.

Having backed away from the target rock sufficiently enough, I looked around for a place to hide. No way was I gonna blow it up while standing in an open field. I was back to the same rocky mountain I had met Pete previously at. It was the day we were supposed to meet but I had no idea when. He never specified the time, the arrogant bastard.

Giving the terrain a critical eye, I chose a large rock up the mountain ridge. It was on higher grounds than my target, so if the ground suddenly melted or evaporated away, I would be relatively safe. I had toyed with the idea of turning into a dragon and setting the potion on fire that way but decided against it. What if it spit something upwards and hit me in my dragon eye? Not gonna risk that. For a moment, I wondered if the stupid cave mansion was even worth all the trouble I had to go through.

Sighing and glancing at the sizzling puddle from time to time, I hopped and climbed the rocky mountainside until I reached the ledge I had previously scrutinized. Having looked around carefully, I squatted down behind the rock, noticing it gave me a complete cover. Good. I was taking no chances this time around. I leaned from behind the rock and readied myself. Gosh, I hope this time goes better than the last one.

"What are you doing?"

I bolted up, my trusty dagger jumping into my palm in a millisecond and I raised my arm in defense only to find Pete watching me curiously.

"Would you stop sneaking up on me?" I hissed angrily as I sheathed my dagger.

Pete merely shrugged, "Why? It's amusing."

I rolled my eyes and turned around to take a look at the blue goo. It was still sizzling quietly as far as I could see. Ralph never mentioned a time limit for blowing the thing up but I was leery on leaving it be for too long.

"Sit down," I said, squatting and leaning around the rock again.

"Why would I do that?"

I turned to give him a glare, "Trust me, you don't wanna be standing over there."

He cocked his brow at me as I quickly formed a fireball and sent it flying at the bluish puddle. It caught fire immediately and the flames spread along the splashed potion.

"What is the point of this?"

"Why are you still standing?" I hissed as I noticed Pete staring at the now burning rock in morbid curiosity. Exasperated, I grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and pulled him down. The man yelped as he lost his balance and fell down on top of me, one arm stretching to hold onto the rock, his other one landing on the ground beside my crouching form. For a moment, I felt caged. I did not actually count on him falling over me.

"Uh..." I muttered as I stared at his face that was far too close to mine for my liking. He was half kneeling over me, one arm above me and the other next to my hips. In a moment, the inky black eyes flashed crimson and his lips parted to, no doubt, berate me in an angry tirade but he was interrupted by a loud boom coming from behind us.

I had no doubt it was the puddle of the blue goo and both of us hunched down instinctively at the sound, Pete covering my body completely. I was pretty sure it was not intentional. A demon covering a petty human of his own volition? Yeah, right.

The first explosion was soon followed by a few more, though the latter ones were considerably smaller, judging by the sound.

"What was that?" Pete asked, still hovering above me, his voice guarded and steely. I opened my eyes to peek at him. The demon was not looking at me but I could tell he was listening in from the concentrated expression on his face, trying to judge if the danger had passed. A splash of purple attracted my intention and I narrowed my eyes, looking behind Pete. The mountain wall was splashed haphazardly with light purple spots. Why purple? Wasn't the bloody potion blue? Boy, was I glad I had taken cover up here.

I wriggled underneath Pete, trying to get up but his hand had landed down upon my shoulder keeping me down. I raised my brow at him.

"Stay down, you idiot," he hissed as he leaned carefully at the edge to look down at the plain.

I rolled my eyes, "I'm pretty sure it's over. Just a simple explosion, no need to overreact."

He glanced back at me in alarm as I pushed his hand away and slipped past his shoulder to stand up.

"Oh, wow," I said as I surveyed the view in front of me. The target rock had indeed exploded, taking a few others with it and turning into a huge crater in the middle of the plain. Its edges were splashed in deep purple and spots of various shades of blue and violet seemed to dot around everywhere.

"I told you to stay down, you silly woman," Pete seethed, grabbing my forearm and turning me around to face him.

I snorted, "Relax, no harm done."

"And what if-"

"Aww, are you worried about me?" I smiled slyly at him and the demon blinked in surprise. His hand let go of my arm as if it burned and he turned around, grumbling.

"Of course not, are you out of your mind?"

I smothered down the rising chuckle and turned to survey the damage. Not bad, not bad at all. If I wanted to annihilate armies, that is. I figured something of a smaller scale would do for the golden door, though. I wouldn't want to accidentally kill the last remaining dragon, after all.

"Whatever happened to... that?" Pete asked as he motioned towards the crater and I shrugged nonchalantly.

"I was trying an explosive, that's all."

"That's all?" the demon turned to stare at me incredulously. "It blew off half of the mountain!"

"Yeah, uh... that's why it's still in testing stages," I retorted with a roll of my eyes and Pete snorted beside me.

"Do share the final product, I could use some in the future," he said and I grinned, cuffing his arm lightly.

"Sure thing."

"Hm, I suppose you're not that bad for a human, after all," Pete mused and I shrugged my shoulders, winking at him.

"Half-human, mind you. Or maybe quarter-human, who knows."

"Ah, finally coming to terms with your ancestry," he said and I nodded my head with a smile. It's not like I had a choice on that one.

"Are you gonna teach me now?" I asked and Pete nodded contemplatively.

I turned around, looking for a better spot to jump down but a hand on my wrist halted me.

"Tell me you're not really thinking of trekking though that war field?" the demon was frowning and I shrugged. Granted, I was not very enthusiastic of hopping around the purple spots which may or may not be highly volatile and deadly but what else could have I done?

"Do you happen to have a better solution?"

He rolled his eyes and tugged me after him further away from the edge, "Of course, I do."

Interested, I waited as he looked around, careful not to step on the purple goo puddles. When he stopped, Pete simply drew me closer to him and I raised my brow inquiringly.

"Just hold on," he said with a smug grin and I frowned as a sudden dizziness hit me. The view in front of me swayed in motion and I blinked trying to dispel the sensation. I felt like I had been rotating around for a half an hour and then suddenly stopped, making everything around me swirl and hobble unstably.

"Hey, easy, woman," Pete's voice anchored me and his hand gripped my arm, steadying me. I focused on his voice and the black material of his jacket until my head stopped turning.

"Hm, perhaps this wasn't such a good idea," Pete commented and I glanced around me unsurely, wondering if the nausea was going to return.

"What was that?" I asked as I recognized the plain we were at. It was a few mountain tops away from where we were recently.

"It's a sort of teleportation ability," Pete grinned at me and I cocked my brow at him.

"Teleportation?"

"Yes, very handy in tricky situations," he noted and I stared at him dubiously.

"Do all demons have that? Am I gonna have it too?" Come to think of it, such a talent would be pretty cool. Especially when running from Jeth.

"Of course not," the glare Pete sent my way was decidedly icy.

"So, what? You're special or something?"

"I am more powerful than any other run of the mill demon. This an inherent ability," Pete hissed and I rolled my eyes.

"So, there's like no way I can get it?"

"Hardly," he snorted and I shook my head. Figures. Some demons get all the best talents. All I got was an ability to hallucinate.

"Anyhow, why don't we see how far you've gone with your fire affinity," Pete suggested as he took a few steps backwards. "Show me."

I nodded as I extended my hand, reaching deep within me. A flame sprung to life above my palm, growing stronger and hotter.

Pete raised his brows as he watched the red flickering flame. It expanded upwards as I gave it free reign and then split into smaller flames which scurried around and up in the air chasing each other. They circled around me enthusiastically and then went on to make a few rounds around Pete. The demon watched, his eyes sharp and darkened.

I stood nervously, wondering what he was thinking. I had worked hard in rebuilding my connection to the fire element and I felt like I have succeeded but I was unsure.

"I am..." Pete halted as if thinking, his eyes returning to stare at mine, seemingly ignoring the dancing flames which were now hovering around me, "impressed."

"Really?" Relief flooded me instantly and I gave a joyous whoop, the fire I had previously conjured jumping up and down together with me.

"Not bad for a human," Pete remarked succinctly and I laughed. By now I had already realized him calling me human was no longer an attempt at insulting me but rather he was teasing me.

"The fire seems to... favor you," he commented, watching the flames. "Odd. Perhaps, you have more access to your ancestry than I have previously thought."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, yeah, I'm a freak like that, I suppose."

"You are not a freak," Pete's voice rang coldly and I shivered as his sharp eyes glared at me. "You have great power within you and I will teach you how to use it."

"Why?" I asked curiously. "Why would you teach me? Aren't we, well, you know, enemies? Sort of?"

"Not sort of," Pete rolled his eyes. "Definitely enemies."

"Then why are you teaching me?"

"I believe such was our arrangement," he replied and then added with a smirk, "Also, you are amusing."

I snorted, "Glad to be of service."

"Either way, it's not like you alone can change the course of an entire war, even if you have great power available to you," Pete continued and I shrugged.

"Huh, I suppose you're right. Sooo, where do we start?" I rubbed my hands together in glee and Pete snorted as he came closer to me.

The flames I had conjured flickered out of life and I blinked in surprise. I did not recall extinguishing them. Suspicious, I glanced at Pete but he was already stretching his hand out lazily.

"The key to the spell is focus," he said. "You need to gently direct the flames to where you want them to go without using too much force. I will show you slowly so you can clearly see how the spell is formed."

I nodded my head and watched as flames sprung from the ground a few meters away from me. The flames spread slowly sideways forming a circle and as soon as the two ends connected, the fire expanded towards the middle of the circle, forming a uniform column of scorching heat.

"Wow! So cool," I exclaimed watching the fiery pillar rise high and Pete smirked, looking rather smug.

"Your turn, then," he remarked as the spell was cancelled and I sighed. This was going to be hard. While I got the main gist of what I had to do this was far more complicated than sending a fireball.

I needed to get the control just right. Not too much so that the spell doesn't backfire and not too little so that the flames listen to my will.

Concentrating, I stretched my hand out, ignoring the curious stare of Pete. I was still dubious over his real intentions but that could wait for now. A flame emerged flickering unstably as I tried to direct it and bend it to my will. Fire was hard to work with and I focused even more on where I wished it to go.

Instead of bending into a circle, the fiery element swiveled out of my grasp and went spiraling away. I lost control. Only scorch marks were left on the ground and I narrowed my eyes. I needed more focus. The flames were very unstable and always seemed to have a mind of their own.

And so, I tried again and again. And again. The ground was soon marred with dark burns and by my forty-second attempt I was already panting heavily. Despite fire coming to my call easily, it was still taxing to do it constantly, especially when I tried to exert so much control and focus.

Still, I was close. Very close. The last time the fire had almost formed a full circle, albeit a slightly crooked and uneven one. More like an oval, really. But that was fine by me.

"Ok, attempt No. 43," I muttered under my breath and shot a quick glance towards Pete. He was watching me pensively. The guy had done little else to help, having claimed I had to get this myself. I did not complain. I was used to hard training. After a few dozens of attempts he had moved away to sit on a nearby rock, his expression not giving away anything he thought.

I took a deep breath and concentrated again. Slowly, the flames moved around, stretching and flickering, spitting out sparks from time to time. I coached them gently, directing it to form a circle and after a slow and aggravating moment of resistance, the fire finally moved along my desired course. Soon, a burning circle had formed, the fiery heat licking the ground and stretching towards the sky. In my moment of joy, I lost the little control I had over the flames and instead of filling the circle, they sprang outwards in a flaming wall.

I gasped, my body freezing in fright as I felt the scorching heat. These were no longer small flames I used to play around with but a fiery and offensive assault looking for something to destroy. I was casting the spell with the intent to harm and due to my own stupidity, it was now backfiring. I cringed at the thought of the flames burning me and tried to push them away with my mind and magic but they were much too overpowering.

Desperate, I shut my eyes, deciding to save my energy for a healing spell I'd definitely need later. However, I did not feel any pain or any burning. Instead, strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a pleasantly warm embrace and a comforting heat enveloped me. I blinked in surprise as the hands holding me retreated and pushed me away, dark eyes peering into mine intensely.

They swept over me up and down several times, strong hands rubbing my shoulders. I stared at the frown marring Pete's face surprised. It was almost like he cared, which was a preposterous idea.

"Silly woman," Pete muttered as he finally let me go. "Haven't I told you to focus? You don't just cancel the spell in the middle of it."

I nodded, feeling properly reprimanded, "I know, I am sorry. You're not... You're not hurt, are you?"

The flames I had conjured before were gone now and I felt guilty. Pete had obviously covered me and took the brunt of the burning rage.

"I am fine. While your flames might be impressive for a human, it is hardly a challenge for a demon," he replied.

"Oh," I muttered in reply. I couldn't believe I failed again. And I was so close.

"Why are you looking so down?" Pete glared at me slightly. "That was a compliment, you silly woman."

I furrowed my brows as I wondered which part of the derogatory remark was supposed to be complimentary.

"Now then, I need to leave in search of that dunderhead boy," Pete was frowning now in contempt but there was some concern in his dark eyes as well. "I trust you will not be a total idiot and refrain from experimenting with this spell by yourself. Your control is far from adequate. It is better I monitor your advancement."

I nodded my head with a sigh. He was right. The spell was a very high level one and if Pete wasn't here to save my hide, I would be heavily injured by now.

"I understand," I murmured and then gave Pete a somewhat chagrined smile. "Thanks' for being here, Pete. I do appreciate it."

"Of course, you do," the man sneered though I could hardly feel any malice in it.

"You still haven't found your relative?" I asked curiously and Pete frowned again, his eyes turning away from mine.

"No," he hissed in reply. "Apparently, he is rather good at hiding when he wants to."

"I'm sure you'll find him soon," I tried being supportive and Pete nodded, his voice pensive.

"I could have sworn I felt his aura and was close to him just this morning but then instead I ran into you. Experimenting with explosives," he gave me a brief glare and I did my best at ignoring it. Which was pretty hard. The glare was rather heated, as a matter of fact.

"No matter, practice your control for now," Pete commanded me as he turned away. "I'll see you in a few days."

I merely nodded my acquiescence as he disappeared in a blink of an eye. Teleporting? Once again, I thought it was a rather ingenious ability. Why was I the one stuck with stupid hallucinations? So not fair.

*+*

The usually warm chocolate brown eyes stared ahead coldly as the Elders murmured and muttered in hushed voices. His lips thinned in impatience as Elek skimmed the frowning faces around him. He breathed deeply not letting any emotions show in his brown orbs and resolutely ignored the concerned, yet apprehensive, stare of Oheli.

"Silence! Silence!" The Chair of the Council shouted over the noise and the other members quieted immediately.

High Elder Pruck presiding over the Council meeting turned to Elek, his eyes wary and guarded, "And you are saying that this new dragon seems... young?"

Elek nodded his head minutely, "He was much smaller and seemed rather inexperienced."

"A fledgling then," a few elders murmured amongst themselves.

"But how?!" another one exclaimed, his face puffy and red in anger. Elek recalled his name was Lindl. "How could there be two dragons and one of them a fledgling?"

"Ever heard of such a thing called mating?" Oheli enquired in a soft quiet voice which was nevertheless heard by all.

The elders frowned at Oheli and Elder Lindl sneered, "Are you telling me there is a third dragon running amok?!"

"Not necessarily," Oheli smiled serenely. "But all I have are speculations and theories. I am actually of the mind that we should approach this situation with caution. Nothing is ever as it seems to be."

"Well, we don't need your theories, you old goat!" another elder cried out backed up by others.

"It's a wonder how you're even let in. There is no need for any caution! Slay those beasts, I say!"

Chaos soon erupted in the hall as the elders shouted and screamed at one another trying to prove which way to kill the dragons was best or sneered and taunted the silent old magician. Wearing his cold mask of indifference, Elek watched the proceedings quietly. Inwardly, he seethed at the disrespect the elders had shown to Oheli. The old magician was a mentor and a friend; the Holy Knight valued the magician's advice greatly.

"SILENCE!" Elder Pruck quieted the hall once again and Elek turned to the presiding elder for his final decision.

"We must strike swiftly, Elek," the man said, gaining appreciative murmurs and nods. "I will send word to our finest magicians. We will start preparing the spell right away; however, it needs time. You must pursue the young dragon first, Elek. He will be easier to kill and the holy shard in your sword will be enough to pierce its armor and wound it deeply. We will deal with Jeth the Elusive once the spell is ready."

The other elders nodded their heads in assent and Elek bowed to the High Elder in acquiescence.

"Oheli," High Elder Pruck turned to the old magician. "You will start working on the spell right away. The Piercing Arrow needs all the energy we can spare."

"I am afraid I will have to refuse," murmurs and shouts arose once again as Oheli rose from his seat and headed down the hall. "I have watched this Council descend into madness for years. I will no longer be a part of it."

"What?! What is the meaning of this?" High Elder Pruck jumped up, his anger evident in his clenched fists and burning eyes.

"It means I quit the Council," Oheli said as he stopped to face the hall. "I believe there is a better solution to this. You all know how destructive and power-demanding Piercing Arrow is. It requires far too many sacrifices and I refuse to participate in this."

The old magician did not wait for the heated screams and curses to fly his way and swiftly left the hall. In the pandemonium that followed, no one noticed Elek slipping away as well. Once out the door, the warrior rushed forth trying to catch up to his mentor. He did not have to run far. Oheli stood just a few flights of stairs down in one of the numerous alcoves of the Council tower.

"Oheli!" Elek stopped beside him unsure how to start or ask the questions that were burning him up.

"You will understand why I did what I did soon enough, my dear boy," Oheli smiled up at him. "The Council thinks there is no sacrifice too great for the greater good and that is where we disagree."

"Even if so, we must defeat Jeth somehow," Elek argued back.

"Must we?"

"If we don't, everything will be destroyed, Oheli," Elek shook his head. "The Piercing Arrow is our greatest weapon."

"I believe there are far greater weapons than that, for example, care and reason," the old magician replied. "I hope one day you realize the world is painted in shades of grey, my dear boy, and no one is inherently evil."

"Are you trying to tell me Jeth the Elusive is a good guy? That we can reason with him?"

"In your report, you said that Jeth took the younger dragon and retreated," Oheli questioned the warrior, looking up at Elek's brown eyes. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes, he did."

"Mm, then tell me, dear boy, if he could find compassion for his comrade in a heat of a battle, does that not prove there is good in him?"

"It proves nothing," Elek shook his head, "it merely-"

"I've heard rumors recently, strange rumors," Oheli interrupted him. "Tales of a human gifted with a Soul Contract."

"A what?" Elek furrowed his brows confused.

"I believe it is high time I investigated this matter," the old magician smiled as he turned to walk away.

"Where are you heading, Oheli?"

"I thought I'd visit Aleta and see how she fares these days. Stay safe, my dear boy, and don't rush to deal the killing blow just yet."

With a deep sigh, Elek watched the old magician walk away, confused and unsettled. He knew Oheli wouldn't tell him anything more if he didn't want to, so the warrior didn't push. He had other matters to think about and, unbidden, Aleta came to his mind again. He had to protect her; he had to make sure no dragon wrecked this world apart or plunged it into chaos and bloodshed.