I got bored laying on the bed inside the Recovery room. The good news was we're now preparing and training our magical abilities for the first step of our journey and I did not forget that there was more to come. I mostly wondered about my magic and every single Dragonslayer in the Enchiridion. How did I get these powers? I mean, it does run in the blood throughout generations, making some of the previous Dragonslayer my ancestors. It depends on the matter of time if the power would be awakened when a dragon has gone rogue. This always happens as if it is a curse.

Not wanting to be consumed by boredom, I thought of something out of curiosity. I tried something. Beside an arched window in front of me, where I could see the stars in the navy blue sky, were two opened lanterns with a glowing sphere inside.

My eyes didn't blink as I focused on the flames themselves. The spheres ascended from the lanterns and I fused them, making them swirl like a huge, dancing fire. Strangely, I found the beauty of it. The power. The light. Like it was no longer an ordinary fire in front of me, it was . . . something more powerful. "Xabe?" I snapped back to reality when I heard a soft gentle voice. I turned and saw Chloriette alone again. Her new bluish-white nightgown made her skin whiter. Her honey-colored hair was pulled back in a braided ponytail with her green butterfly hair clip.

"Chloriette." With my magic, I put the fire back to its rightful place.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she walked towards the chair beside my bed and sat straight.

"I was bored and all I could do was that, but I must stay here."

"What for?"

"They thought I'm still sick, but I'm not. They didn't even listen to the Oracle."

"You look sick to me." I stared into her eyes and she stared at mine. Later, she sat next to me. Her eyes focused on the floor. "Hey, Chlor, Um . . . " I hesitated thoughts about that night crossing my mind. "I am sorry about what happened. I didn't think your hand might-"

"My hand is in good condition. There's no need to apologize." Silence had returned. I had no idea what to do or what to say next. Until I broke the silence once again. "I'm still sorry about that," I said first.

She managed a smile. "All right, I'll accept your apology, for making me worried sick." I chuckled as I imagined her as ourselves back in the day when we were worried about our mother too much. "So what happened to you anyway?" She asked.

"Eh, Giuseppe explained that I have this dream-traveling ability . . . wait, hang on, I forgot what it is."

My friend began to ponder. "Dream-traveling. It's a rare ability."

"I swear, I remembered what Giuseppe's babbling about dream-traveling." I tried so hard to remember what it was, but I'm lost.

"I wish I have a dream-traveling ability. I was hoping that I could dream of myself as a kid eating ice cream," Victor beamed. The four of us reunited once again, thank goodness. Going back to wearing our five Flash warrior anniversary uniforms. "That's not how dream-traveling works!" Lenard yelled from the strong wind of the clouds as we marched on a bridge to get to the other side of the building. "Wait, MaXabiere, why are we here again?" he asked me.

"We're going to Giuseppe," I said. "It's time for me to know my first step."

"So, wait. You know where he is?" Victor asked.

"I have to find him first before he finds me." I glanced at them before turning around to face the other side of the academy's building. Hearing the echoes of our shoes as we enter proved how quiet the hallway was. Until a group of Flash warriors marched with their weapons and armor. I guess they were ready like we were. We passed several ways in this long, never-ending corridor until we reached the library where Chloriette and I, even Lenard and Victor, went during our days of training. We spotted a man standing on top of the second floor of the library, his violet robe reaching the end of the floor. To my surprise, his silver hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

The stairs made Lenard pant a few times. "Giuseppe," I yelled his name as we got close.

"You came here for the first step, I presume?" he asked while not looking at us.

"Right," I replied. "My destiny awaits. After having a conversation with someone, I am ready. And also why did you guys leave me in the Recovery room even though I'm fine? Does this have something to do with the dream-traveling or-"

"No."

"Okay, good," I nodded. Victor stepped beside me. "Hi, I'm Victor. Lenard and I heard about you. He's a fan," he beamed.

Back in the castle, Giuseppe handed me the Slayer Enchiridion, which was stolen by him without me knowing, no wonder why I couldn't find it. He told me that I need the Enchiridion for other situations aside from this. The first step that he told me was finding a rare Dragonsmith. (According to the very ancient texts of the Enchiridion). Only the senses of the Dragonslayer can find him . . . or her. He doubted that a Dragonsmith could still be alive, but it's my time to save the world and figure it out. Lastly, he warned me about my quest, "You did an excellent job on your first mission in Iris village. However, your second mission as a Flash warrior will not be as easy, even if you and your friends are still rookies. The blue one is a total weirdo, I'll give him that. At first, I had underestimated you, I admit. Ridiculous the prophecy maybe, but you have proven yourself in your training. Hopefully, the prophecy unfolds once you encounter the Devastrigon once again."

I formed up a smile, "Thanks."

"And one more thing," he said, "Whatever you do, don't die."

I gulped a second there. I forgot about meeting death the second time. Giuseppe burst out a laugh and patted my upper arm, "I'm just messing with you, kid! You're the new Dragonslayer, you got this. But seriously though . . . don't die."

"Right . . . I'll go get my weapons." I pointed my left thumb above my shoulder.

Giuseppe shook his head, "You don't need those. Judging from the report of Commander Vortecse, your old weapons can't handle your magic."

"Then how am I supposed to have a weapon?"

Instead of giving me an answer, his eyelids almost dropped to his eyes, giving me a deadpan look. I snapped my fingers the moment I figured out what he meant by that look, "Dragonsmith, right."

In the Enchiridion, some pages showed where the Dragonsmith might be: In the cave of Havadra, The village of Elphidose, and an inter-dimensional world in the mystical mirror of the Grand Mortalio museum. Where are we now, you asked? In the black sea where we could only see the night sky. The four of us, including Captain Claes and Sean, were in a sturdy boat marked with the Flash warrior flag. We had our weapons for defense and trained our magic for the attack. Food and drinks were also supplied.

Their attire was like the old days. Captain Claes, with his black vest, pants, and boots. And Sean, wearing his indigo floral jacket, caramel pants, and brown shoes. The hippie with style has returned.

Inside the cabin where a single table was placed, they looked at me (But no sign of the captain) as I used my senses. Waiting for my signal. I could feel the flow of my power as I looked at every single one of the images. "The Grand Mortalio," I said. "He or she might be here." After his coffee break, Claes entered the room. "Good. What are you talking about?"

"Giuseppe told me that each place is where the Dragonsmith might be," I told him.

"Dragonsmith, huh? I hope he or she knows what we're dealing with." Claes and Victor's poses were the same to the point where they're almost identical. "If the Dragonsmith's still alive..."

Victor pondered, "How are we supposed to know if he or she's alive or dead."

"We'll have to keep moving forward," I concentrated on the map. "Who or whatever this Dragonsmith is, he or she is the only one who could help me, I guess." In the city of Grand Mortalio, grey soldiers were escorting their people into their safe house or Safe haven. Few blocks away, we finally reached the museum. Guards with silver armor were in front, guarding (Well, duh). "Captain Claes." They both saluted. "What brings you here?"

"We have to get in," Claes answered. Without hesitating, they let us inside. Quickly, we spotted an elegant mirror on the wall, six feet tall and very shiny. "Okay, I'll go first. Just to see if it's safe." Sean took off his glasses, showing his sky blue eyes. He reached into the glass with his finger. It made a wavy sound like the ocean as Sean was sucked in by the mirror until it stopped at his torso. We waited for minutes when suddenly, Sean jolted back to this world, shocked. "Nope, not this one, Nuh-uh." His face was covered with shock and fear.

"Why, what's the matter?" Claes narrowed his eyes. Instead of waiting for an answer, he quickly went into the mirror. After a few minutes again, Claes' expression was the same as Sean's, and kept on yelling, "Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope! Certainly not this one!"

"Nice, I wanna take a look!" We tried to stop Victor, but it was too late. He quickly went back in. Facial expression was similar to Claes' and Sean's. "I don't wanna take a look anymore. It scared the piss out of me!"

"All right, I guess there's something wrong with my senses. We should go back." I blankly claimed. We returned to our sailboat and the three of them recovered from being so scared about whatever they saw on the other side of the mirror. "The village of Elphidose. The place is near the lake," I said after I used my senses. "He's gotta be in here."

"Or she," Lenard added.

"Let's figure it out shall we?" Claes said. The boat jolted as strong waves collided with it. "Victor, I told you to slow down!" This afternoon was so uncomfortable. Victor was in charge of driving since Claes was very busy with us and Sean was trying to make a spell to forget about what he saw in the mirror. The boat rock back and forth, which almost caused itself to be devoured by the ocean. "This is the best day of my life!" Victor exclaimed. For the record, he always wanted to sail a boat when he became his warrior.

Many seasickness later from Lenard, we reached a pier with local shops and houses. Because of the speed, the sailboat bumped into another ship. The cracking sound of the parts of the other ship made us cringe. "Alright! My first parking experience!" Victor made a heroic laugh. All of us glared at him for being so destructive to this village's property. "Is it bad?" he asked.

We kept asking for directions about the location of Elphidose because even when I leaped high enough, I still had no idea which village it was. Luckily, a goblin carrying merchandise in a sack, like a really big sack, told us where it was. With his big stitched hat and coat (not to mention he was holding a long staff too), the goblin looked like a creepy wizard. His voice was so raspy and sharp. "Just follow the stones with L-shapes on the ground, and then you'll find what you seek. Here, you want spoons?" The goblin handed a rusted spoon to us, showing his broken teeth.

"No," Claes said coldly.

"What about a glass bottle with free water, huh? How about that? A glass bottle with free water, you can drink whenever you need, for free. Haha, get it?" The goblin's crooked smile made us a little uneasy.

"No. I'm good." I shook my head, but the goblin never stopped.

"Oh! What about this?" The goblin kept grabbing random stuff from his so-called "merchandise" in his sling bag (Yes, he had that too with him). "A nice, good-looking mirror that I didn't steal from a wealthy wizard three years ago. The amazing part is that you can go through different worlds through the looking glass."

"That's enough thank you, not-so-evil goblin," Sean interrupted. "I believe we have to follow the L-shape stones, we really can't waste our time buying merchandise, especially a mirror that goes through worlds that we don't want to look at. Okay, bye." All of us marched on the forest.

Victor was left behind for a moment then asked, "How much is the bottle with free water?"

It took a while when we reached the village of Elphidose. In the village, people lived near the meadows. We went to the town hall for the mayor instead of asking questions from these villagers, because they might not know what a Dragonsmith is.

People in the town hall greeted us with friendliness. "Oh my gosh, Flash warriors," a man said.

"Holy Blimey, Flash warriors? Here?" said the guy with a hat.

"Good evening to you, Flash warriors," a woman passing by said, Sean even winked at her.

"You know, despite the destruction of this so-called Devastruction, people are still in their good mood. Isn't that strange?" Sean couldn't stop himself from looking around in the town hall.

"No." Claes kept walking. "People are just keeping their hopes up for good. They do not know what will happen to this world, especially by the time the doors of death are opened as you mentioned, Lenard."

"It's creepy." Lenard shivered.

Sean shrugged. "Well then, I hope they enjoy their last moment if we fail."

"Not. Helping." Claes gave Sean a serious glare who just smiled back. We met the mayor in his room, just like what the worker told us: go upstairs.

"The world is in grave danger, Flash warrior Claes." All of us went to the mayor's benches. In front of us was an adorable coffee table with primrose in a blue vase. The mayor's hair and mustache were shiny and silver. He wore a yellow robe and sported those shiny shoes.

"Yes," Claes agreed. "And that is why we need to find the Dragonsmith. Do you know what it is?" The mayor shook his head. "I haven't heard a single word about this Dragonsmith. Why did you ask?"

And that's where I came in. "Because of me, mister mayor, sir. Believe it or not . . . " I hesitated at first; thinking of how I should word this out without affecting what he'll think of me. "The Dragonslayer needs to find him." The mayor didn't speak a single word. Instead, he nodded.

"You took that very well, mayor. That's quite a surprise," Sean commented.

"I see," The mayor lowered his head. "So many Eras have passed then finally, a new one appeared. My people don't know what a Dragonslayer is except for me, but I thought it's only a myth."

"And that is why we need to know if you've ever heard about a Dragonsmith in this place, mayor," I said.

He shook his head. "I apologize, but I do not know about or where this Dragonsmith is."

Oh crap, here we go again.

So this was how my destiny awaits? We got confused by my not-so-helpful Dragonslayer sense. Claes, Victor, and Sean still couldn't get over whatever they saw on the other side of the mirror in Grand Mortalio, even Sean did a spell and it didn't help. At the moment, we have to hold on to this boat and make sure that my enchiridion doesn't get a single drop from the heavy storm. "This is all your fault!" Claes shouted as the lightning struck the ocean. "I thought you said this area is safe!"

"No!" Sean barked. "I said this is the shortcut to Havadra!"

"I'm gonna strangle you if we survive!" Many hours later, according to my watch necklace, it's one thirty-seven in the early morning. My arms rested on the wooden railing. Gladly, the storm vanished so I could see the moon and the stars. "We're not having a good time today." Chloriette stood beside me. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," I said.

"The moon looks bigger from here, isn't it?"

"No," My eyes focused on the shining white globe. "I think it is bigger back in the academy."

"For so many weeks, I forgot how cold the earth's surface is."

"Yeah, me too," I remembered what it felt like living in a floating castle back in the academy. Sometimes it was very hot that made me sweat so bad, sometimes cold and relaxing, which is my favorite weather to be in, where the clouds would surround the area. Here, it felt different. It smelled different from the blue sea. The wind gently blew at the surface, unlike the sky. "And I haven't realized how much I miss seeing white snowflakes falling from the sky. I do miss my old home."

We're just standing here, both watching the horizon. I'm gonna make a landscape with this beautiful image when everything goes back to normal. "I wish I could see it." She said.

"My home's amazingly cold," I told her. "Hey, Chlor? I know this might make you feel awkward, but . . . do you ever miss your home, too?"

She went silent, her eyes locked on her hand on the railing. Oops. "I- I'm sorry, I'm just curious, I didn't-"

"I was wondering if I would ever miss my home." She also laid her arms on the railing and wondered. "Do you also miss your family?" her question made me smile.

"I do," I replied, thinking about them at the moment. "Back in the old days, my mother told us, 'Never forget your family, because they are your priority. By blood or not, always hold on to each other.' Even I believed that." The glowing moon flashed a light upon an island in front of us. Chloriette didn't say anything. We both relaxed with the view in our sights.

I knew I shouldn't have asked her that question, but I'm an idiot. Thanks to my curiosity, I had no idea what's inside Chloriette's head. "Hey, guys. Are you thirsty?" Victor asked when he came in. "I bought the bottle with free water."

"No," We both replied in unison. Eyes still on the view.

A/N:

Well . . . that's an awkward start to find the Dragonsmith. And speaking of it, what do you think it'll look like based on your first thoughts about it?