After successfully pulling Blue from the wreckage of the Jewel Hive, Sera and Cricket trudged back to the rift in the savannah. The jagged canyon was their only safe refuge for now, a natural barrier that could keep them out of reach of any wandering dinosaurs. Sera didn't like this one bit. The idea that dinosaurs were becoming more prominent in Pantala unsettled her. The question gnawed at her: If the dinosaurs were taking over here, what could that mean for Pyrrhia—or worse, for her own continent, Lunareth? There had always been some dinosaurs on Lunareth, yes, but this? This was a new breed of danger.

Her claws scraped across the rough stone as she scuffed a burning piece of coal, not really caring about the sting. Fire always felt so familiar, almost comforting, but today it felt distant, like something she couldn't quite grasp. The flickering embers didn't soothe her like they used to. She wanted answers. She wanted to understand what had made things spiral out of control so quickly.

Blue, wounded and weary, limped over toward her, his star silk bandages glowing faintly in the fading light of the evening. The torn wings were a painful reminder of the fight he had barely survived. His head, too, was wrapped with the same delicate material, though Sera could tell it was nothing short of a temporary fix. His eyes, despite their weariness, seemed to hold a flicker of concern as he shuffled closer.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently, his voice low and sincere.

Sera turned her eyes on him, assessing his every movement. She didn't know this SilkWing—hadn't even asked his name until now, though his presence was somehow familiar. It wasn't that she disliked other dragons; it was just that her priority had always been her tribe, her people. Every other dragon, for better or worse, felt distant, like an abstract thought that she couldn't quite bring herself to care about.

She gave him a look—one part irritation, one part confusion. Her tail flicked in a lazy arc, its tip brushing the rocky floor with a soft thud. "I'm fine," she muttered. Her voice was guarded, clipped. "But you really should focus on yourself first, not me."

There was a long pause as Blue shifted slightly, still eyeing her. Sera didn't offer any more information, letting the silence hang between them like a fog. Cricket, standing off to the side, shot Sera a glance but wisely didn't intervene. The two dragons—Sera and Blue—were as different as day and night, and any attempt at small talk seemed pointless.

Blue seemed to sense the unspoken tension, and after a moment of hesitation, he finally spoke again, his voice softer. "I... I didn't expect to be in this position. I didn't expect any of this."

Sera shifted on her haunches, her wings unfurling slightly, their midnight-blue scales gleaming in the dying light of the day. Her eyes flicked toward the horizon where the last rays of the sun clung to the sky, though she was only half-paying attention. "None of us expected this. But here we are."

Cricket, with her usual bluntness, chimed in. "I thought the only thing we'd be dealing with was curses, not..." She gestured vaguely toward the distant savannah, the rumbling sound of the dinosaur's earlier roar still fresh in their minds.

Sera's eyes narrowed, a deep sigh escaping her. The weight of the situation was starting to settle more heavily in her chest. The dinosaurs weren't just an inconvenience; they were an outright threat. And if they spread across Pantala, Pyrrhia, and Lunareth too, it could be a catastrophe. Sera had dealt with a lot in her time, but this—this was an entirely new level of danger.

"We need to find out how deep this goes," she muttered under her breath, mostly to herself. "If the dinosaurs have started moving across Pantala..." She trailed off, the implication of her words hanging heavily in the air. A deep silence followed, broken only by the faint wind brushing against the rock walls of the rift.

Blue shifted uneasily beside her. "What should we do?" he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Sera looked at him, her eyes hard, her posture suddenly taller. "What else? We fight."

◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥

In the heart of his innate domain, Sukuna lounged casually at a large, round stone table, his sharp claws picking at a plate of ribs. The rich scent of spices mixed with the heavy scent of fire in the air. He took a slow bite, savoring the meat, when a light sound of fluttering wings caught his attention. Without looking up, he knew who it was. Gojo, the King of the Light Dragons, had arrived. Sukuna could almost feel the sunlight radiating from his wings, a stark contrast to Sukuna's own dark, maroon scales.

Gojo landed with a soft thud across from Sukuna, not bothering with any pleasantries. He casually dug into a plate of rabbit legs, his silvery white wings twitching slightly with amusement as he noticed the casual air with which Sukuna was handling his meal. It was, after all, rare for either of them to be caught at ease.

"So," Sukuna began, placing his ribs down with deliberate slowness, his sharp four eyes fixed on Gojo's. "Why are you here, Gojo? You know we don't exactly get along. We've been fighting over the same girl for ages. What's this? Some sudden truce?" His voice was edged with sarcasm, a challenge, as always.

Gojo grinned, a chuckle escaping his lips. He leaned back in his seat, stretching his wings out behind him with a soft flutter of light. "No," he said, his voice light, but with an edge of purpose. "I just haven't seen Queen Sera in a while. I know she's not with you, but I need your help to find her."

Sukuna's expression flickered, and he leaned forward, tapping his maroon claw thoughtfully against his cheek. His frown deepened. "Yeah, I've noticed it too. The balance of power's been off for a while now," he admitted, eyes narrowing. There was something almost wistful in his tone. "I miss her," he said, his voice dropping, almost in spite of himself, though he quickly masked it with a forced pout.

Gojo chuckled, his white wings twitching with amusement. "So do I," he said, shaking his head, a playful gleam in his eyes. "But let's face it, if we both want her back, we need to work together. No one else is going to do it for us."

Sukuna stared at him for a moment, the flickering lights from the surrounding realm casting eerie shadows over his features. Then, with a smirk spreading across his face, he reached his clawed talon across the table, his four eyes flashing with intensity. "Alright then, it's a deal," he said, his voice laced with both intrigue and a hint of wickedness. "We'll work together. For her. But know this, Gojo—the moment we find her, all bets are off."

Gojo didn't flinch, his sharp eyes meeting Sukuna's, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He extended his own talon, white scales glistening in the dim light as he shook on the agreement. "Deal," Gojo replied, his voice laced with an undeniable confidence. "We both want her back, and this time, we'll do it right."

Sukuna chuckled darkly, pulling his talon back. "We'll see about that."

And just like that, the two powerful beings—rivals by nature—had sealed their fragile alliance. But neither of them knew yet just how dangerous the path ahead would be. They both wanted Sera, but their hearts, their motives, were as different as day and night.