My wings were spread in a wide span as the wind rushed along my silver scales... I soared across the sky, the sun shining down on me and making my skin glisten and glitter. It was utter freedom. I flapped my wings up and turned my body in a spiral as I whooshed down and into a crevice of the mountains. I exited at the end, the adrenaline rushing through my veins. Yes, if there was one thing I loved about being a dragon, it was the ability to fly. It was divine. It was everything one could ever dream of. Heh. Dream.

I giggled mentally and flew up towards the mountain tops to be nearer to the sky and the clouds. One day I would go high up, as high as my wings would take me, and slip past the clouds, tasting their reverent sweetness. My eyes swept over the landscape below me and I let out a happy gurgle. Flapping my wings stronger I soared forward in the air, twirling and flipping, pushing it to my limits. I still sucked at landing, though, and that was exactly what I intended to improve this time.

An hour later, I was coughing up dirt and spitting out grass blades out of my mouth, as I turned to lay on my back. Ok, I still sucked at landing even after numerous attempts. I just couldn't get the moment I was supposed to change my forms to step down onto the ground smoothly. I thought it was my problem only but the golden dragon had a human form, too. I sat up, sighing.

And what the hell was that?! I had avoided thinking about the encounter for the last few hours, hoping that flying would help me process it but I did need to face it, sooner or later. The setting sun was painting the landscape in faint hues of red, gold and brown and I watched it morosely. Apparently, all dragons could change form into a human. What did that mean, exactly? Why did neither Soran nor Ralph mention it to me? Did they think I knew it? Or did they know I did not know it and wanted me not to know it?

I scratched my head absent-mindedly. This was getting really convoluted. However, I knew for a fact there were things Soran and Ralph were not telling me. Despite our comradery and common goals, we were not friends, were we? Suddenly, I was not so sure. We acted friendly to one another, we joked around and spent some time interacting with each other but what was friendship, really? When did you call someone a friend?

I called Elek my friend. I called Jill my friend. I was hoping Soran and Ralph could be considered friends, too. But back then, at the Academy, I had never managed to make any such friends. As soon as I thought I was making some headway relationship-wise, they would find out about my fire affinity and, ironically, enough, start giving me the cold shoulder. Fire magic was the reason my family gave me away when I was still a child. Fire magic was the reason I could never get close to anybody for they were scared of me. Fire magic was the reason even I got scared of myself, sometimes. Well, no more.

I smiled softly, as small fire flames danced around me. Now, I loved my fire magic. To hell with stupid friendships. What do I need them for? And who cared if dragons could turn into humans? So what. So, what? I furrowed my brows as I thought about Blacky aka Jeth the Elusive. He must have a human form, too. Then again, he hated humans so he would probably slit his own throat first rather than walk around in human skin. I giggled to myself and absent-mindedly glanced to my side, where something silky and smooth touched my thigh. Totto was rubbing its head along my thigh affectionately and I petted him gently. For some reason, the hound could feel whenever I was down and would always show up without fail.

"Oh, well, at least I have you, Totto," I smiled at my demon pet and conjured a small fire ball for it to play with.

I got up and dusted myself off as I started trekking along the mountain. The views were amazing and my mood started to lift up. I kept conjuring fire balls for my pet to play with. Totto would run around trying to catch them with its teeth, jumping and twirling about just like a puppy would. Suddenly, he halted, ears twitching and body tensed as Totto sniffed the air. I followed his gaze down the mountain to see a lonely figure, walking across the plain in an unhurried gait.

"Huh, who's that? Who could be wandering in the middle of nowhere? Apart from me, that is."

I narrowed my eyes trying to notice any discerning features. Totto had already lost interest and was chasing his own tail. There was only one person I knew that would sometimes walk these mountains.

"Oh, for goodness sake, don't tell me it's Pete..." I muttered at the same moment as the figure I was watching blinked out of existence and reappeared closer to the mountain top where I was standing. From this distance, I could see his black robes and sighed. Who else liked wandering around without a goal, wore all black and had this handy teleportation ability, apart from Pete? No one, that's who.

"How the hell does he always find me? This can't be just a coincidence," I muttered as Pete cocked his head, turning to my direction like a hound sniffing out its prey. In a flash, he was standing in front of me, looking uncharacteristically pensive, his dark eyebrows twisted in deep thought.

"Damn it, that teleportation thing is making me jealous," I said as a greeting but Pete simply stared at me almost as startled as I was. "Um, hellooo? Pete?"

I frowned. It was weird seeing Pete stand so still and silent. And what did it say about me that I felt more familiar with hell hounds and demons than regular humans?

"Mortal girl to the almost immortal demon of darkness?" I waved my hand in front of his face and, finally, Pete shook his head and stepped back to get some distance from me.

"Isn't it strange how I keep running into you?" He murmured pensively, looking me up and down.

"Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. Weird, huh?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"Every time that I go out looking for..." Pete kept mumbling almost to himself. "No, but this is preposterous."

"Yeah, I know, stinky humans," I rolled my eyes, placing my hand on my right hip as I looked around for my demon pet Totto. "Have you met my pet, yet? You might actually like him better than me."

"What?" Pete glanced at me in confusion and then shook his head just as I whistled calling Totto. "No, I was just... look here, woman, I'm gonna ask you a question-"

He halted mid-word as Totto materialized between us, his head cocked to a side as he turned to observe the newcomer.

"Totto, meet my demon friend Pete," I gestured towards Pete as I grinned at him. "Pete, meet my demon pet Totto."

To my surprise, Totto did not growl as he usually did when meeting someone new. Instead, he cocked his head to another side and slinked closer to Pete who seemed in a bit of a stupor. My demon pet carefully sniffed around the other demon's ankles and feet, then prowled around him in one swift motion and then finally settled down back at my feet with only a huff, seemingly content.

"This is..." Pete seemed to be short for words. "It's a hell hound. Do you know it's a hell hound?"

His dark eyes bore into mine as he stepped closer. I shrugged, "Kind of, yeah."

"And he's your... pet?"

I glanced down at Totto, rubbing his head and the hell hound yipped and growled affectionately, rising to his feet. His spiked long tail wrapped around my legs as I returned my gaze towards Pete.

"I suppose he's a bit more than that but he does remind me of a puppy, so..."

Uncharacteristically quiet, Pete stared at me intently and then took one more step closer.

"Hell hounds are among demons of the highest rank, second only to dragons. They are powerful, strong, agile, resilient to all types of magic and highly intelligent. Not to mention, steadfast and loyal to a fault."

"Huh," I huffed as I took a small step back. The intensity in Pete's eyes which were slowly taking on a carmen red hue was starting to unnerve me a bit.

"And did you know... the only thing they are loyal to, the only creature they adore above all, the only master they would ever accept the touch of and the only one they would acknowledge is a dragon."

By the end of his impromptu speech, Pete's eyes had turned completely red and I shivered. Would 'shit' be a good word to describe this situation?

"Huh, who knew, hehe," I tried laughing it off. "Maybe Totto is just confused, demon ancestry and all, you know, no dragons around here, none whatsoever."

"Don't," Pete growled and I glanced at Totto, hoping he would come to the rescue but my hell hound pet seemed rather enamored with the local boulders he was sniffing and pawing at.

"I have been searching high and low for that errant boy-turned-dragon who had made the Soul Contract with Tanek and all this time you were-" Pete halted, his eyebrows furrowed as he glanced me up and down once again.

"I thought him a teenage boy but you're not... you're-"

"Whoah, wait a minute," I interrupted him. "Are you telling me that relative boy of yours you were searching for was-"

"That's why I kept running into you whenever I was trying to tail his aura," Pete glanced up into the sky as he brushed his black hair from his forehead in a nervous gesture. "Do you even realize what this means?"

"Not really, no. I have absolutely no idea what you're rambling about," I shook my head.

"You're a girl!" He exclaimed looking at me once again, gesturing wildly with his arms. "A young woman, to be more precise!"

"So?" I raised my brows. This was the second time I was hearing this bullshit and I had a feeling I was missing something vital. Weren't Soran and Ralph being all weird and secretive about my gender too?

"Are female dragons some sort of a taboo or something?" I asked unsurely. "Am I making some sort of a faux pas by just being a woman?"

"What?" Pete stared at me flabbergasted. "No, of course not! Why would you... Ancestors, you really don't know a thing, do you?"

Getting rather irritated about the situation, I shrugged my shoulders as I put my arms on my hips, "Maybe I know a thing or two, maybe I don't. Maybe it's the same thing you know and maybe it's not, so what?"

"There hasn't been a female dragon born for more than three centuries," Pete said slowly as I frowned, trying to understand where he's coming from. "You are the first one I have met in a very very long time..."

"Ok, so? That's it? I mean there are hardly any male dragons around either," I muttered, still not getting what he was raving about.

"When the human and dragon war escalated, the human race soon realized they were going to lose," Pete started what sounded to be a history lecture. "But humans were cunning. They realized the only way to win the war was to decrease our population naturally. Female dragons have always been rare and raising a baby dragon takes years. It did not take long for them to start targeting and persecuting our mothers and sisters while our fathers and brothers fought in battles. The dragon race fell because there was no one to bear our children."

"Oh," I looked away. When presented like that, we, humans, did seem like the scum of the Earth. It reminded me of that dream I had, where I witnessed the young dragon's death and met Tanek the Dreamwalker from the past.

I fidgeted uncomfortably, "So, what? Now that I'm a female dragon, you're gonna take me to Jeth the Elusive to have some babies with him or what?"

Pete blinked and then laughed, "What? Why would you... oh, I forget you've just recently turned. Your senses must still be dulled."

I frowned as he stepped closer, towering over me. His chest was almost touching mine when he leaned lower, whispering into my ear, "If not, you'd be feeling my scent and recognizing it as your kin."

Huh? What kin? Come to think of it, the history lesson he was telling was told in first person... as if he was...

I stepped backwards, raising my hands in defense, "Wait, no, no... that cannot be. I mean, you cannot be..."

Pete glanced me over once again and shrugged, "My thoughts exactly."

"Shit," I muttered, the realization slowly sinking in. "So, um, I guess your name is really not Pete, huh?"

Whatever answer he was going to give me was overshadowed by a screech so loud I jumped in my skin as Pete-Not-Pete turned around. There, on one of the larger boulders, sat a wyvern. Another one was slithering up behind it, hissing silently.

"Double shit," I cursed as another screech rang just behind me and Totto growled, leaping to defend me.

Pete wasted no time in hurling several fireballs at the overgrown snakes and I sent a fire whip at the one slithering behind me. To my utter disappointment, the mountain ledge was crawling with these foul beasts. How did they all sneak up on us? The air sang with magic and smoke rose high as Pete and I casted spell after spell.

"There's too many of them," I shouted just as I felt Pete grab my hand.

"Stay still," he said as he melted into inky black shadows around me, his human form seamlessly fading away and reshaping itself into that of the dragon. Well, if I had any doubts, this definitely confirmed it.

Pete-Not-Pete aka Blacky aka Jeth the Elusive towered over me in all of his ebony glory. His long tail cut off wyverns from our left as he gave a mighty roar. In another moment, I felt scorching heat as Jeth let lose a stream of pure fire from his throat. The wyverns screeched as they burnt and crawled away from us. I only hoped Totto had managed to run away but he was usually too smart for his own good. I had a bigger problem at hand.

"Are you alright, Aleta?" Jeth's voice rang in my head and I looked up at him, conflicted. Our last run-in was weird enough but this was a whole new level. The demon I met in that small village and called Pete was actually my biggest enemy and nemesis. This was surreal.

"Aleta?" The worry in his voice brought me back and I nodded.

"Yeah, uh, totally fine."

This was definitely the day I was gonna hit my personal record of saying 'shit'. What the hell am I supposed to do now? Last time, Jeth protected and healed me. As Pete, he hated me to a point but did keep his word and helped me. Now, Jeth had protected me once again. Why? What was happening?

On another note, I furrowed my brows as the dragon melted into inky shadows to reform into the human form, how the hell did he know my name?

"How do you know my name?" I asked exactly that as Pete-Turned-Jeth materialized in front of me.

"I have a good memory," he said as he looked pensive once again. "You introduced yourself when you dubbed me Pete. Who would have guessed the irritating young woman I met back then would turn out to be my last kin."

"Huh," I muttered as I looked around, trying to ignore the bad feeling in my chest that kept growing worse by the minute. The earth was scorched and burnt in a wide radius around us. Damn, I'm lucky Jeth has never actively tried to kill me.

"So, um, you're Jeth, right? Jeth the Elusive?" I asked stalling for time. "Why is everybody calling you that?"

I tried acting nonchalantly as I tried formulating some sort of an escape plan. Despite him saving me numerous times, this could not end well, could it?

"Because no one has been able to catch me yet," Jeth smirked at me, his eyes glinting with red undertones. How did I not notice that carmine hue before?

"What, no one?"

"Try catching someone who can teleport anywhere in an instant."

"Fuck me," I muttered in response, realizing he was damn right. That teleportation skill was indeed a handy thing.

Meanwhile, Jeth gave me a once over as he grinned, "Almost tempted."

I stared at him flabbergasted, "What? No! No way, that was NOT an invitation."

"I gathered," the dragon replied as his voice turned serious. "You do realize, Aleta, that this... you complicate things."

I shook my head, "Look, it doesn't have to be complicated, right?"

"No," Jeth agreed as he stretched out his arm towards me, palm up. "Come, let's go."

"Um, thank you very much but I'll pass?" I took a small step back.

Jeth only shook his head, "It's over, dear child, come."

"First, I'm not a child," I hissed angrily at him. "And second, why? Cause you're sex-deprived and wanna make dragon babies with me? Hell, no!"

"What?" Jeth snorted and shook his head, finally letting his arm drop to the side as he stepped forth. "You certainly have a way with words but we will discuss this later. Do not drag out the inevitable. We are kin and I can keep you safe and away from my enemies who would use you against me."

"Yeah, um, I think I'll take my chances," I said as I let the small vial I hid in my palm drop to the ground. It was a regular smoke bomb I had purchased in the market long ago. I did not use them much but I hoped this time it could win me some time.

As smoke billowed around us and Jeth coughed, lifting his arm to cover his mouth, I turned on my heel and dashed as fast as I could. I only needed to reach a ledge so that I could jump off and change forms. A vague plan was taking shape in my head but I soon realized my folly as I saw Jeth reappear ahead of me in a short distance from my current position. Damn that teleportation thing of his.

"Running is futile," Jeth smiled at me condescendingly. "Just accept it and come with me. I will not hurt you, Aleta."

I cursed in my mind. If I stopped now, I had no chances. Instead, I sped up, noticing Jeth's eyebrow rise in confusion as I dashed right towards him. He then let out a chuckle and as I neared him, the dragon lifted up his arm, perhaps, in an attempt to cast some spell. Right at that moment I launched myself up into the air and as I flipped I could see the surprise in his eyes. I reached out towards him with my hands and used his shoulder as a lever to spring my body even higher up.

As I pushed against his body, Jeth did not move even an inch and I realized he was strong. Really strong. His eyes followed my movements with slight shock and his left hand reached out to me in an attempt to grab me. But by then I had already let go of his shoulder and as my body flew up higher I reached into my skirt pocket and took out one of Ralph's concoctions. Without much further ado I threw the vial at him, hoping it would be something useful for once. You never know it with Ralph.

But it seemed it was my lucky moment, for as soon as the vial crashed into Jeth, it spread a dense dark green smoke and as I turned my body to face the oncoming cliffs I could hear the dragon choke and cough in it. I reached out towards the ledge of the cliff and grabbed onto it with my hands. Thanks' to Ralph I just won some time.

I quickly pulled up onto the ledge and then grabbed the edge of the other cliff. The smoke was still not dispersing and I used that time to clear the remaining distance between me and the top of the cliff. As soon as my feet touched the solid ground of the mountain top, I sprung forwards and dashed across it. I could only hope I was fast enough to reach the other end of the mountain top.

As I ran I quickly drew out a few more vials out of my pockets and attempted to read their labels. Damn that Ralph! He can't even write properly! The Amazing Bleh Hlar Juice? What?! What the hell does it do?!

I turned my head to take a look and yep, Jeth was already catching up to me. I still had about 100 meters to run and so I cursed under my breath and send the Bleh Hlar Juice vial flying into Jeth. He ducked in an attempt to avoid it, but I was not so foolish and had attached a tracking spell to the vial. In other words, the vial made a sharp turn together with Jeth and crashed into him despite his commendable attempts to run away from it.

I turned around and jumped backwards, facing Jeth and trying to read the title of the next vial. Meanwhile, Jeth broke into a run towards me again, but stopped abruptly as he suddenly sneezed. He shook his head and then sneezed again. And again. And once more. And twice more...

I giggled as I halted now at the very edge of the cliff. He was sneezing! It was a sneezing juice! Haha! I looked down at the vial in my hands. The Magical Change of uhh-something. I grinned. And threw it.

Next... The Unbelievable Mumbo Jumbo Serum. Good enough! Next. Uhhh... The invigorating something Potion! Will do. The Fearsome Powerful Puffing Smoke Bomb... The Mixed Tongue Juice... Meh, whatever. And so, in the end, I threw about seven bottles at Jeth without even trying to read what their titles said. The result was rather comic. He was coughing and still sneezing in a cloud of red smoke, his skin had turned a bright green color with yellow dots, he had grown two snake-like tails and his hands had puffed up to twice their original size... I believe the latter was caused by the Immediate Limb Growing Concoction. The only name I could actually read and understand. Ha. Suits him well.

I spent a moment to laugh at him and then took my time to change into the dragon form. While Jeth coughed and sneezed and cursed at me, I dove down from the cliff and towards the fjords. I knew of a perfect place to escape his clutches and Ralph's potions will give me just enough time to reach it.

I was absolutely right about that one. As soon as I reached the mountains I was heading to I heard the sound of wings flapping and as I turned my head to look back, I saw that Jeth was speeding towards me in his dragon form, his red eyes glaring at me from afar. I cursed and sped up towards the crevices in the mountain ahead of me. I had practiced in these fjords a lot and I knew them like the back of my hand. This mountain range had plenty of crevices and gaps I could use for my escape. They were incredibly narrow and I knew Jeth was too big to fit into them while I could freely pass through. For once, my small size had come in handy.

"You can't escape me, Aleta!" He roared behind me and with horror I realized he was incredibly fast in his dragon form.

Still, this battle was mine. I twirled my body sideways and ducked into the nearest crevice that was just narrow enough for me to fit through, but broadened up ahead. As soon as I had enough space, I whooshed up and turned around to see if Jeth had gotten through. As I expected, he halted right before the gap between the two cliffs and I could see part of his body, to be more precise, his black head with fiery red eyes.

"Aleta!" He bellowed angrily and I giggled.

"Too bad you're such a big bad dragon," I mocked him.

He huffed and simply stared at me with his crimson orbs. Why isn't he saying anything?

"This is far from over, my dear," Jeth murmured. "You've proven you're quite a capable adversary, but do not think that this little victory will change the tides of the entire war... for it is coming and I intend to win it, no matter what."

I kept quiet, mild shivers running down my spine from his ominous words.

Jeth flapped his wings one last time and melted into shadows teleporting to Gods knew where. Probably, his secret evil lair.

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the unpleasant shivers and turned around, heading across the mountain range towards Soran's Tower. Enough adventure and revelations for one day.