The Hidden World

After setting up the camp and everyone got settled in, Akira took food out from her ring and Yuki prepared a fire. The sun was beginning to set when they all began to eat their dinners. When they were finished, Yuki set up a perimeter around the camp that would immediately wake her up should something disrupt it.

Soon, it was just Akira and Yuki in one of the disguised tents. Erica, Yuna, and Ember shared another while Mathali insisted on standing watch even after Yuki told him that she had already rigged the surroundings. He said that there were things that magic couldn’t catch.

“So,” Akira said. She sat in front of Yuki, their feet touching. “Spill.”

Yuki smiled and began telling her about everything that happened from the moment she woke up to just seconds before she finally reunited with Akira. Akira listened quietly, not interrupting a second of the story. Her expressions told Yuki that she was following every word that was said.

When she finished, Yuki waited for Akira to speak. 

“You’re a dragon?” Akira asked, her voice a bit incredulous. Yuki laughed.

“Of all the things, that’s what you’re most surprised by?” Yuki said. 

“Oh, there are other things, but you’re a dragon.”

“I was surprised too,” Yuki shrugged. “When Sophie told me, I didn’t quite believe it, but it made sense when I put everything together.”

“It does,” Akira frowned. “I never thought of that possibility though. A dragon raised outside of the demon lands. I don’t remember ever reading about something like that.”

“Ember seemed surprised as well. When I didn’t know things about dragons that she treated like common knowledge, she seemed confused. She got over it quickly though.”

“You’re an omnidragon as well,” Akira sighed. “No wonder you can control all the elements. Those are really rare. Like, almost non-existent. I think there were only a few recorded instances of an omnidragon.”

“I figured.”

“Can you show me?” 

Yuki frowned, not certain what Akira was asking for.

“Your dragon form,” she smiled. “Can you show me it? A description isn’t enough.”

“We’re going to need to find a bigger area than this tent,” Yuki said. 

“Let’s go to that clearing then. It should be big enough, no?”

Yuki pictured the space in her mind and frowned. 

“It might be a tight fit length wise, but I think I can fit in if I move my body around a bit,” she said. 

Together, they slipped out of their tent, being careful not to make any noise. Yuki waved at Mathali to show him where they were going before heading to the clearing where the box building stood. 

“You should stay at the edge until I change,” Yuki said. 

Akira complied, stopping right before the dirt clearing. Yuki stepped into the center of the area. She did a quick scan around to estimate the space she had. The box building provided her with a bit of a road block.

‘If it gets crushed, whatever,’ she thought.

With a single thought, her body morphed in one fluid motion until she was curled up on the ground. She took up the entirety of the clearing. Her tail was wrapped around her, but the bulk of her body covered the fifteen feet clearing. 

“So, what do you think?” Yuki asked, her voice rumbling out from her as she craned her head to look at Akira. 

“You’re very sparkly and shiny,” Akira grinned. 

“Aw, thank you. I was aiming for that.”

“But really, you look very pretty in a magical and dangerous kind of way,” Akira said. 

“Mmm. I’m glad to hear that.”

“You’re very big as well. If we take your tail and neck and add it to your length, it would be around forty something feet.” 

“Yes. Dragons are a bit large,” Yuki laughed. 

“Bit is an understatement. In my chimaera form, I’m pretty big, but I would look like a puppy beside you.”

Reverting back to her to her elven form, Yuki brushed off some dust that stuck to her and smiled at Akira.

“That’s why we have these forms,” she said. 

“Where do your clothes go?” Akira asked.

“Where do your clothes go?” Yuki replied.

“Fair point. We should go back now,” Akira said. “We might have a long walk ahead of us tomorrow.”

“True. Let’s go back.”

With that, they slipped back to camp and into their tent to rest before the start of the next day’s journey.

---

 

“How far are the angels from here?” Yuki asked. She was walking beside Erica who was leading the group of five. 

“I’m not certain,” she replied, looking around herself. “I’m not exactly heading straight there, so it’ll be about three days once we start running before getting to a place where we can then go to the angels.”

“Running?”

“Yeah. We’re going to run,” Erica said. “Unless you have some other way that’s faster?”

“I do, but it’s too flashy, I think,” Yuki frowned. 

“Then I guess we’ll be running.”

“I guess so,” Yuki said. She walked quietly beside Erica before popping the question she really wanted to ask. “Eri. How are you doing? We didn’t really get to catch up yesterday.”

Erica gave Yuki a small smile and leaned a bit closer in as she spoke.

“I’ve just been tired,” she said. “I’ve been busy lately. There’s been a lot going on with the Shikaku and all that.”

“I heard that you were the one who worked the hardest to find me.”

“I wouldn’t say the hardest,” Erica replied, looking away. “Others worked just as hard. I just did what I could.”

Yuki remembered what Akira said. How they had found one of the Fiddler’s hideouts and Erica destroyed it from rage. The fact that someone would do something like that because of her touched her.

“Thank you,” Yuki said. “I. I really appreciate it. That you would go so far to help me.”

Erica glanced at Yuki before letting out a sigh, her ears pink.

“Akira told you about the thing with the Fiddler’s base, didn’t she,” she said. 

“Maybe.”

“Oh god. I didn’t mean to,” she said, scratching her head. “We could have explored it more for information to find you.”

“In the end, it all worked out,” Yuki replied. “Don’t worry about it. I’m actually a bit happy you destroyed it.”

“Yeah. It did kinda deserve to be wrecked, didn’t it?” Erica grinned.

“Mhm. Well, again. Thanks. I never gave up hope that you would come find me, so hearing that you went that far…”

“I got, I got. You’re just trying to embarrass me, aren’t you?” Erica teased, poking Yuki’s arm. 

“Hmm. Just a bit, though I still mean what I said,” Yuki said. “Unrelated question, though.”

“Hit me.”

“Where is this place we’re going to stop at before heading to the angels?” 

At that, Erica’s smile dampened a bit and she stared straight ahead. 

“A place that I never thought I would need to return to,” she sighed. “I’m just finding my bearings right now before we can hurry up the pace.”

“What is it?” Yuki asked, her voice soft. “This place? If you don’t answer, you don’t need to. I’m just...curious.”

“No, it’s fine. You’ll find out when we’re there anyway,” Erica said. She gave Yuki a long look. “We’re going to my old home. The place where I grew up.”