Josh's mom closed her eyes, but not before Josh saw the pain flooding them. Even expecting it, Josh couldn't have been prepared for the fist that rammed into his gut for causing that.

She turned away, shifting her position so she sat cross-legged. She rested her entwined hands on her legs and stared at them.

"Mara said something about you losing a friend in the past. Before you left," he continued. "Mom... Were you connected to a dragon?"

She pressed her lips together, shoulders pulling back and fire blazing in her eyes as if she was ready to fight something. Perhaps argue with Josh, deny everything he said. Then she squeezed her eyes shut and slowly exhaled. All the fight deflated from her body.

"It happened when I was thirteen. I started feeling Thysia's presence, and when the Paladins came to me and explained what they were and what I was becoming, I accepted that life. I became soul-bound with Thysia. I moved to the Sanctuary, and they taught me all I needed to know about being a Paladin. It was also there I met your father. He was a child of a couple who helped tend to the Sanctuary. We grew up friends, but that developed to more. At nineteen, I married him. That is also when they reassigned me to a Sanctum in Africa, so your father and I left the Sanctuary and moved there."

She paused. Her hand rose to rest on her chest, almost of its own will. The tips of her fingers hovered, half curled, reaching for something not there.

"Then, a year later, there was an attack on another Sanctum in the Amazon Rainforest."

A faint growl resonated through the bond, and trees burning with dark fire flashed through Josh's mind. His mouth ran dry. No, the two events couldn't be connected. The same battle couldn't have stolen Boomer's parents and caused the pain he saw on his mother's face.

But the name had triggered a thought in Boomer's mind: home. Two attacks wouldn't have happened there, and it could explain why Boomer never met his parents if they left before he arrived.

His mom went on, not noticing the sudden revelation. "It was a massive raid by Shadow Knights, so they called for help. I went. It was a horrible battle, Josh. A Sage had just defected to the Shadow Knights, so they had so much information they shouldn't. I got separated from my team, and I..."

A tear slid down her cheek. She choked on her words. Her lips moved in a silent word—Thysia.

Josh had a horrible feeling about where this was going, but he didn't know how it could go that way. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "You can stop now."

"No, no I can't." She dabbed the tear away and took a deep breath. "You deserve to know what she has done for me and you."

"What she did for us?" Josh echoed.

She nodded. "When I got separated from the others, I ran into the traitor Sage. I should have gone to get help. I was weak from constant battle, but I had seen so many hurt. The entire Sanctum burned. Dozens of eggs were destroyed. Dragons murdered. I acted out of anger and attacked. But my weakness let the Sage invade my mind. He..." The effort it took for her to swallow forced her face to bunch up for a moment. "He meant to pour his energy into me and crush my soul.

"It shouldn't have happened. A Sage is powerful, but they cannot have that much influence on a person unless all their defenses are down. Only my emotions were keeping me standing at that point, I think. I shouldn't have stayed there, but, well, obviously, I did. He would have destroyed me from the inside out, but Thysia intervened. She forced so much of her soul through to guard mine. She saved me, but it cost her too much."

"It killed her," Josh breathed.

"I thought you would be the last person to suggest a Sage delve into your son's soul."

It was easy to recall perhaps the first thing Josh had ever heard Cale say. After all, Josh had been dwelling on that conversation for the past few days. He understood why his dad had snapped at Cale now.

Even with things less tense between them, Josh had the urge to find him and request a more serious duel.

A Sage had killed the very soul of his mother's dragon. He couldn't imagine losing Boomer like that, and they'd been bonded for a little more than a month. His mom had been bonded with Thysia for over six years. His gut rolled, acid burning the back of his throat.

His mom cleared her throat, placing her hand at her mouth to cover a cough before wiping her eyes. "Yes. As you know, when dragons die, they go to the Energy Realm. However, their soul is what crosses over. If there is no soul, the death is permanent. The dragon is just gone. She's gone, Josh. Well, mostly."

He had been falling into another wave of sickness over the prospect when her tone shifted. The sadness lifted, if only a little, allowing a glimmer of fondness through. His mom smiled slightly, her hand lowering from her chest to her stomach.

"The force of Thysia's soul was enough to blow back the Sage, so he couldn't attack me again right away, and it gave me a few seconds to speak with her before she faded. There wasn't enough soul left for her to remain alive, but she refused to leave me completely. She melded part of her soul with mine, telling me she would protect me as much as she could. The other part of her soul she melded with another."

She raised her eyes to meet his. He didn't know what gave it away. Maybe the loving, soft motherly stare, or the way her hand rested on her stomach, but Josh's jaw dropped at the information. He pointed a hand at himself.

"Me?"

With a chuckle, she reached over and tapped a finger under his chin. "You'll catch flies, Josh."

He closed it, but his eyes remained wide, repeating his question to his mom.

She nodded, and her hand returned to her stomach. "I couldn't have been pregnant for long. I didn't know yet, and honestly, I can't promise the battle wouldn't have had a horrible effect on you if not for Thysia. She was the one who told me you were there, and she said she wanted to be with you as you grew."

A dragon soul attached to yours ever since you were a child, Boomer murmured. I can't imagine what that must be like. I thought I sensed something odd when I was bonding with you, but I figured it was normal.

Josh placed a hand on his sternum, as if he could touch the place where Thysia molded with his soul. Boomer had put it into words, but he still couldn't believe it. He'd been connected to a dragon his entire life.

When Josh stared, his mom chuckled and looked back out at the ocean. "I was broken, as I'm sure you could guess," she said, lighter than before even if the pain was still there. "The Sage traitor likely could have killed me, but Thysia's effect on him kept him back long enough that backup arrived, including Stephan, the leader before Xander. The Shadow Knights retreated, and another Paladin—Cale's father, if I remember correctly—found me.

"I returned to your dad. As I said, it shouldn't be possible for a Sage to do that, so nobody knew what to do with me. I felt like an outsider at times, and when I didn't, I hurt from all the reminders of what I lost. I also knew I had you on the way, and I couldn't put you at risk. I honestly don't know if I would have raised you well if I stayed here, not with how hard the reminders made it to cope. My mental state was horrible. Because of all this, your dad and I decided to leave the Sanctuary. We wanted to get me away from here and raise you, and later Eli, to have a safe life where you never risked facing a loss like that."

Nothing she said came across as pointed. In fact, her tone had gone neutral, as if she was relaying facts she had thought about many times. Regardless, Josh was back on the house steps over a month ago, staring down at his mom's pleading eyes. He was in front of the Sanctuary, seeing the grief and pain on her face as they walked inside. He was delivering the news to her that this life that had stolen her dragon away had also kidnapped her son.

A simple "I'm sorry" couldn't make up for all the pain—both new and old—that he had made her endure. But perhaps there was one thing he could say that would lift it all.

A slight tug at the bond, barely there as if Boomer was trying to stop it but couldn't help himself.

The words were right on Josh's lips, but he dug for others to put it off a little longer. "Is that why I used to have so many dreams about flying?"

"Yes," his mom admitted. "You were having flashes of Thysia's memories. It is also why you never really felt pain. You've always had part of that Paladin toughness, and the normal world never offered more than your body could take. I experience both things, too, even if you never noticed."

He hadn't, but the present tense of her word didn't escape him. One part of the soul didn't affect the other. "And if she were gone from my soul?"

"Excuse me?" His mom arched a brow. "What do you mean?"

Josh shrugged. "When I was fighting the reaper, I felt something surge from me, and the voice—Thysia—said she wouldn't let me die there. She attacked the reaper, and ever since then, I've felt pain more easily. Stupid broth hurt my throat."

"Thysia..." His mom rested a hand on her chest. She spoke in a quiet enough voice that Josh didn't think she was talking to him. "Yet again, sacrificing yourself. Thank you." She nodded, raising her voice. "I think you're right. I don't think her soul is there anymore. But it's odd that you would feel pain now. Boomer is still soul-bound to you."

Josh took a deep breath. It was time. "But what if he wasn't?"

First confusion, then panic, passed over his mom's expression. "Are you not connected to Boomer anymore? Did Thysia damage the bond?"

I hadn't thought of that, Boomer said, cold fear dripping from his words. Does that mean my bond with you wasn't strong enough? Is that why you would think now...

Josh winced. That's not why, Boomer. Nothing is wrong with you or the bond. I still want it. I just... You know that... He ran a hand through his hair. No, he couldn't keep this up. He had to get it out before he convinced himself otherwise. "Mom, the bond is fine, but what if I chose for it not to be? What if I stopped being a Paladin?"

Fun Fact: Thysia actually means "sacrifice", which I found very fitting :D

For anyone who guessed that Josh's mom was a Paladin, tadaaa!  You were right.  Hopefully all the information was still exciting to learn.  Just took an entire book to explain Josh's pain tolerance and those vivid daydreams he got as a kid.  Except we still aren't done.  Josh is sudden contemplating giving up being a Paladin, but why? And will that be how this book ends? >:D

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D It's in my bio if you'd like to join!