-"A strong bond is like having a sturdy rope, it'll help you even in the least expected of times."

*Iah*

I sat down on the benches. This time, it was Nyima and Ryomi's turn. The first few minutes were a reenactment of their battle downstairs. After getting her light dragon blocked again, Nyima surrounded the girl in a sphere of water.

Rami bent the water with ease, releasing her master. The dragon readied a sphere of water but Nyima punched it, throwing it to the floor.

"Tsk. You are strong," Ryomi said, grinning. "Arbol Draconis!" Her wooden spell struck the floor, sending vines and branches in all directions.

"Her style isn't like yours," I said, looking at Adela.

Adela smiled. "This style reminds me of my mother's. The girl's grandmother must've taught her magic."

Lei tilted his head. "The Celestial Queen?"

She nodded. "Mom was good friends with her. My father was also good friends with the king of this realm."

Lei chuckled. "You sure got a friends in high places."

Snickering, she patted him on the back. "As do you."

His cheeks turned pink. "True. I got you."

Adela blushed. "Y-yeah, you do!" She beamed.

I sighed. Seeing them flirt like this was irritating for some reason.

I sat up as Ryomi was knocked back by a strike to the chin. Nyima sure wasn't holding back her punches against the girl, literally.

"The winner of this match is Nyima!" Koukyuu announced, raising her right hand up.

Nyima smiled at the teary-eyed girl, offering her a hand. Ryomi took Nyima's hand while wiping away the tears with her other hand.

"You did great for a kid," Nyima said. "You're nearly as impressive as my little sister."

Ryomi gave her a small smile. "I will be even more impressive than her or you one day."

Nyima ruffled her green fur-like hair. "I'll look forward to it."

Koukyuu glanced over at the benches. "Next up are Ayawamat and Seron."

Ayawamat scoffed. "Fighting a child isn't my thing, but if I must do it to pass the test, then so be it."

Seron stood up from his seat and gave Ayawamat a large grin. A strange-looking dragon emerged from the boy's hands as if by magic.

The dragon roared and charged at Ayawamat. It was fast, too fast for Ayawamat to flee from.

"Telam!" Ayawamat yelled, jumping back and landing on the ring. He shot webbing out of his mouth, causing the dragon's blade-like feet to stick to the floor.

Seron smiled. "Freezing Slash!" He moved his hand up in a vertical line causing ice to form.

Ayawamat ducked. Ice crystals covered the spot the icy ki had struck.

"Wow, you're stronger than that prince of ours," Ayawamat said, grinning.

The kid gasped. "Zyuuni?"

"I mean our country's prince, Wanikiya. He's an ice user like you."

Lei formed a pair of fists and glared at his old rival.

"Want to battle them?" Akito suggested, glancing up at the angry Lei. "We can't change partners, but I think we can battle together. Besides, this test of yours is about bonds, isn't it?"

Lei smiled. "That's right!" He glanced at Koukyuu.

She crossed her long, slender legs and sighed. "The kid is right. You can team up against them."

Akito and Lei stood up and rushed at the unsuspecting duo.

Ayawamat dodged a fistful of lightning from Lei while Seron leaped back, narrowly avoiding an air slash.

Akito took in a deep breath. A tiny green orb appeared in his hands. Tiny hands emerged from the orb, a head, and at last, the rest of the dragon's body.

"Draconeon, back the honey-brown-haired kid and me. Our opponents are those three."

I stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked Nyima.

"This is a bonding test. I got to find my partner. If I stick around here, I'll fail the test."

"Hmm, I see. That's probably a good idea."

Koukyuu gave me a knowing smile as I walked past her.

"That kid is probably in the garden," Korgermu said even as he kept his eyes on the ongoing match. "That's where he likes to go when he's depressed."

I smiled. 'This guy really is something. Although, if he knows his usual spot, he must pay attention to his son. Does he secretly care for him?'

My uncle Huang similarly loved using tough love on others. But sometimes, I felt he overdid it.

☄Ryuusei☄

I swung the sword that Father had given me on my fifth birthday. Slicing the air, I stepped back as I heard footsteps approach.

'Is it one of those Xelerians? Or perhaps a thief?'

Lowering my sword, I took a deep breath. Listening to the rush of the wind and feet against the ground, the presence felt even closer.

"Hey..."

I swung my sword and saw blond hair fly into the air. The young man I had fought earlier stared at me, his jaw agape.

The sword slipped from my hand, falling to the floor as my jaw also dropped. Strands of blond hair had fallen over his yellow t-shirt. "Sorry, sorry! Please forgive me!" I cried, bowing my head several times.

The boy touched his face. "Hmm, well my face is fine, so it's all good. I kind of needed a haircut," he said, snickering. "I'll just ask Nyima to fix it once we return."

I gasped. "She has hair magic?"

He snickered. "No." He sat down on the fountain. "She does it the normal way." His golden eyes gaze up at the clear azure sky. A large grin spread across his face. "Looks like the sky here is beautiful too."

I picked back up my sword and sheathed it.

The boy's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the insignia on the sword. "That item you got there, that's one of the treasures of this world, isn't it?"

I stepped back and nodded.

Raising his hands toward the sky, the blondie summoned a silver mirror. "Here, check this out. It's one of the treasures of my own universe."

I walked over and reached for the mirror.

Nagaeus emerged from my forehead and stared at the mirror intently. "That mirror..." It winced as if in pain.

The boy pulled the mirror away. "Is he alright?"

"Nagaeus, are you still tired?" I asked, petting its head. "If you want, I can take you to your bed so that you can rest."

Nagaeus forced a smile. "N-no, Master. I'm fine."

I frowned. "You sure? Well, if you feel yuckier later, just tell me."

"You really care for your dragon, don't you?" the young man asked, grinning. He unsummoned his mirror. Replacing the mirror was a fruit of some kind. "Give it this. It's said to recover dragon prana."

"But my dragon is a real dragon. We don't use prana."

"Why did you use 'we'?"

I smiled. "Oh, that's because I'm part dragon! My great-great-something ancestor, the previous Dragon King, had dragon blood."

He gasped. "What?"

"His father was a man who could turn into a dragon."

"And his mother? Was she a mortal?"

"No, she was an angel, though most don't like to bring that up."

He looked down at his feet. "Right, people here also dislike the angels."

I tilted my head, frowning. "It's the same in Xeleria?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Especially in Kyuu Seishin where they are looked down upon harsher than in other places."

"That's because the fourth Magus Maximus was from that country," I said. "She was the boss during one of the inter-dimensional wars after all."

He stared at me, awestruck. "Kid, you're as smart as me when I was your age."

I crossed my arms and puffed up my boyish chest. "Nope, I'm even smarter!"

His eyes narrowed. "Oh, is that so?"

I chuckled. "Yup. My mama is the smartest person in the world! Wait, I mean the entire multi-verse!"

The young man grinned and raised an eyebrow at me. "Really? You aren't just saying that because she's your mommy, are you?"

"Nuh, uh! She is super smart! My mama taught me a lot of what I know while providing me with rare books on various subjects. Do you know about the prophecy of the Xian?"

The boy scoffed. "Of course I do! My clan and the Xian were once one." He grinned. "So much for being smarter than me!"

My face turned red. "You didn't know about my ancestor, so we're equal!" I snatched the fruit from him and walk on ahead. Stopping, I turned my head. "By the way, the name is Ryuusei Seok!"

He laughed as he walked toward me. "I know. Well, I guess this would be a proper intro." He held his hand out to me. "I'm Iah Wudi. Hey! Once your dragon is feeling better, let's come back here. I want to help your dragon get stronger. I got dragon magic so it can be done."

My lips curled up into a small smile. I shook his large hand. "Alright, but first, I want to see how the others are doing."

"I want to see the match too," Nagaeus said as he perched on my left shoulder.

I tickled the back of his neck. "Alright, little buddy. You can come with us!" I glanced back at Iah. "Say, did Ryomi's match end before you headed here?"

He crossed his arms and sighed. "It did. She lost."

'She did? No, I shouldn't be surprised. These five are too much for a bunch of kids like us. No matter how talented we might be.'

"Are you stronger than the one who defeated her?" I asked.

Iah ruffled my neatly combed hair. "Of course, I am!"

I looked up at the blue sky as we continued walking or floating in the case of Nagaeus.

'This might be my chance to finally surpass her! To overcome Ryomi!'

I reached my right hand out toward the sky.

'Maybe one day, I'll also be able to reach beyond those clouds and see what lies there with my own eyes.'

I giggled at the mere thought of flying through the outer reaches of space with Nagaeus.

☉Solar Note☉: What do you think of the interaction between our Xelerian main characters and the Wynaga kids?