"You're right calces tempus won't work. That is already a spell. But if we slightly change it and put in a oxygen element, it might work."

"Alright let me rewrite the rhythm then, you might be onto something."

Jina scratched with her chalk on the writing block. She preferred actually writing over using a screen. 

 "What do you think about this, Sora? Oxygeni tempi calces, with the target held between oxygen and time wielders."

"Only one way to find out, Jina."

Sora followed Jina to the other side of the room where one of the salvaged larch seeds was put for observation. The species had become extinct and only now researcher were hopeful to reintroduce it to the world. 

"Just hold it between our hands and say the spell aloud, then it should work?"

"Yep."

Together they mutter the spell and try to channel as much of their power into the small seed as possible.

A door opens to the room and an older woman appears.

"Taiwo Jina, are you here?"

The room is empty apart from a single tree sprout.

-

"I think something went wrong, Jina."

They were standing in the middle of a snow covered forest. Trees everywhere as far as the eye could see. 

"I think you might be right."

Sora and Jina tried to stand as close as possible next to each other. 

This was not what they were trying to do.

What even happened?

"Let's hide under one of the trees."

They huddled together under the nearest tree, the cold already seeping into their bones. Neither of them was really accustomed to a cold climate.

"Why do you think we managed to teleport ourselves, Jina?"

"We must have done something wrong with the spell, hopefully we only teleported and didn't alter the time."

The snow that had steadily been falling from the sky, became more persistent with every passing second. They needed to find proper shelter, and fast.

"How long do you think it will take for the teachers to figure out we're gone?"

Jina didn't need to answer the question as a figure approached them. 

"What are you kids doing here outside, come with me before you freeze."

 Sora and Jina scrambled upright and followed the man, to wherever was it warm.

"Do you think we can trust him?"

Sora was whispering, it wouldn't do them any good if the man heard them.

"No," Jina whispered back, "but we can understand him, while he speaks a different language. That means the translation spell still works, we can't be too far from home. And besides what other choice do we have?"

The young women followed the man till they arrived in a village. 

"Come inside, I'll introduce you to everyone."

The man opened the door of the only building and ushered Jina and Sora inside.

"I'm Sio child of d'Mihgonica and this is my tribe."

Sio introduced the rest of the people present and the girls introduced themselves.

"I am Sora Dahj and this is my friend Taiwo Jina Loni. We were experimenting and got lost in the forest. Where are we exactly?"

"You must come from far not to recognize this as Chavi's land. Do you know how to go back to your place or is there something we can do to help?"

The girls looked at each other in question, but already knew their answer.

"We don't know how to get back, but we should be able to find a way. And otherwise our teachers should be able to find us."

No more words were exchanged that night, and Sora and Jina fell asleep in front of one of the fires.

-

"Kehinde Aaye, have you seen your sister? I can't find her anywhere, and Sora is also nowhere to be found."

Aaye looked up from her homework to answer the teacher. She hadn't seen her twin since breakfast, but that wasn't unusual. Jina spent all her waking hours experimenting with Sora on all kinds of different topics. Some not entirely permitted on school grounds. 

She once found them trying to smuggle a ved inside the school to study the creature. After that she stopped asking questions and barging into their rooms. If she didn't know what they were doing, she also couldn't answer inquiring questions from teachers.

"No ma'am, but maybe they're working outside and merely forgot the time. That won't be a first."

"Alright, but I'll call your parents if their still missing tomorrow. They should take their studies more seriously and not run of on a whim."

Aaye nodded along with the teacher, but her mind was on her own project again. 

-

The next day Jina and Sora explored around the house. The tribe mostly stayed within thirty feet of one another, apart from a few hunters who ventured inside the woods. Sio among them.

There was nothing for the girls to do, so they stayed inside where it was warm.

The liveliness returned in the evening when everyone was back inside.  

Sio stood up to address everyone.

"There are some new people in our midst, therefor we shall once again share the story of Chavi our ruler."

An approving mutter was heard from the listeners, even though they lived the story and had heard it a thousand times before, they still wanted to hear it again.

"Not far from our home a dragon resides. Chavi the ruler of our home. They are mighty and just, but a few years ago their rule changed. They became unpredictable and in their anger snow covered our once green land. Now only cold remains, and few people willing to stay. With every group that left, it became colder, now only we remain."

Sora and Jina shared a look, they knew what they were going to do tomorrow. 

-

Jina and Sora had been gone for two days and Aaye was getting worried. No one knew where they were or what could have happened. 

The teachers were useless as they wanted to keep waiting for a few more days. Because how bad could it be.

This was why less and less children attended. Lax adults.

-

"And where do you two think you're going."

Jina and Sora were trying to sneak away from the watchful eye of the adults. They had a dragon to find.

"Uhm, looking for acorns to eat?"

The elderly woman didn't seem too impressed by their lie.

"The larch tree does not carry acorns. You two wouldn't be trying to sneak out to look for Chavi, wouldn't you?"

"No! Of course we wouldn't!"

This time Sora spoke, as she was a much better liar than her friend.

"Sure, but I won't be able to look into my son's eyes if I would let you two get hurt. So I'm coming with you."

Sora and Jina shared a look, it wouldn't hurt to have someone with them who knew the terrain. And than they wouldn't have to search for the dragon.

"Alright, where does Chavi life?"

-

Aaye was searching her twin's room. There had to be a clue somewhere that could help them figure out what happened.

Nothing.

Only a forgotten sprout lying on the ground.

-

The woman led the girls through the forest. All the while telling stories about her son Sio and partner Goni.

That she was very proud of him was clear. Though the sadness that came with Goni's department couldn't be hidden.

"Now we have to stay really quiet. Chavi is sensitive to light, but it wouldn't do to disturb their sleep."

The girls nodded and tried to stay as silent as possible. 

A few more feet and they could see the dragon in their den, now still hidden inside a cave.

"What kind of dragon do you think it'll be?"

"Cold related most likely, I'm more curious about their age. Do they age the same way here, as in our home?"

"Less talking, more observing. We don't want an angry dragon."

"Yes Siu."

-

Jina was smart, but not very good at hiding things, unless it was an accident. Then they would disappear from the face of the earth.

Luckily for Aaye, Jina had dropped her writing block on the table and none of the teachers had seen it.

This gave Aaye the change to read her last notes, as a spell must have gone wrong one way or another.

Calces tempus with stripes through it and under it a different spell.

Oxygeni tempi calces

-

The dragon was breathtaking.

Golden scales glinstering in the sunlight.

Soft puffs of warm breath leaving their open mouth.

A truly majestic creature.

"Why are they so, so small?"

Jina was flabbergasted. How could the dragon be so small.

"If they age the same as our own, they can't be more than five years old."

The dragon while according to humans would be centuries old, was mentality and physically still a very young child.

"Have you ever seen one still that young, Sora?"

Sora hadn't either, what were they supposed to do now. As far as they knew, a dragon under a two thousand human years still lived together with their family.

The dragon stirred in their sleep and released a soft whimper. The dim light inside the cave seemed to disappear.  The dragon sucking it from the air.

"They're a light dragon."

The realization slowly dawned on both girls.

"When they're sad or afraid they suck up all the light in their territory."

"So that's why it has gotten colder."

Interesting.

-

"They tampered with a spell, I need your help mom. Together we should be able to alter the time and space they exist in."

-

"Let's get closer."

As one Jina and Sora stood up and carefully walked towards the sleeping dragon.

"They're having a nightmare, that's why it's getting darker."

"Should we wake them up?"

Sora wasn't sure, but it would be cruel to not wake the dragon up.

They carefully touched the dragon to awaken them, but nothing happened.

"Maybe we should shake them. That usually works for me."

Jina gently shakes the dragon, but again nothing happens.

"Here let me."

Sora takes over and, quite violently, shakes the dragon till they wake up with a roar.

"Who dares disturb my sleep!"

The dragon in a feeble attempt to scare the intruders puts on the deepest timbre they can make.

Unfortunately for them, it doesn't work on persistent people who know better.

"Hey little one, why are you here all alone."

Jina who had initially taken some precautious steps back, tried to calm the dragon down.

"I. You're not scared of me?"

The dragon tries to collect themselves, but is still too young to fully pull of a pokerface.

"Of course not, dragons aren't scary. Are you lonely? Is that why it has gotten colder outside. Are others afraid of you?"

The dragon sadly nods their head. Big tears fall down their nose and drop on the floor.

"Can we adopt them, Siu?"

Sora whispers to the older woman.

"Uhm."

"No objections means agreeing!"

Sora twirls around to collect the dragon's head in her hands.

"Want to come with us? It's very cozy and warm with lots of people who'll love you."

"Can I?"

"Yep."

-

"Alright, say it together with me and focus on Sora and Jina."

"Reditio tempo calces."

-

"Siu Mih, what were you thinking?!"

An agitated Sio waits just outside the house as Sora and Jina arrive with their dragon.

"Well what did you want me to do? Leave them alone?"

"No! I wanted you to stop them from getting hurt."

"Look we found Chavi." Sora lifted the dragon up to better show Sio, who else is among the group. "They were all alone, that's why it's so cold."

Sio's mouth hangs open in complete and utter shock.

"Hi, I'm Chavi child of d'Dahjlonica, nice to meet you."

-

"It's not working! We do something wrong."

"What if we reverse the complete spell and not only the time aspect?"

"That might work, alright one more time."

"Reditio oxygeno tempo calces."

-

December 8, 2022