COMPANION

I JUMPED out of my bed and carefully rummaged through my robe to locate the gem Sylvia had entrusted me with.

My breath caught in my chest as I fell back onto my butt, staring at what used to be the rainbow-colored gem.

“Holy shit.”

“Kyu!” The stone wasn’t a gem. It was an egg!

And what used to be an egg was now something I couldn’t put into words.

The first thought that came to mind was, It’s a dragon. And it did look somewhat like a dragon to me, but at the same time, it didn’t. It was all black.

It reminded me of a kitten with scales.

The sclera, which in a human’s eyes would usually be white, was black—like Grandpa Virion when he was in his second form—but the irises were a bright red instead of yellow. The pupils were sharp slits; they should have looked menacing, but in the body of something akin to a small feline, it was just adorable.

The most noticeable difference between a dragon like Sylvia and this little…

thing was that it had two horns on its head, identical to the illusion Sylvia had cast around herself before revealing her dragon form to me.

They curved outward around its head, then came to a sharp point in the front. Its head was shaped like a cat’s, but the snout was a just a little bit more pointed.

The tail, though, looked exactly like Sylvia’s tail: reptilian, with two red spikes at the end. Along the hatchling’s spine were small red spikes—the same shade of red as its eyes. It didn’t have wings; where the wings would normally be located were, instead, two small bumps. I could see that its belly didn’t have scales, although it looked sort of leathery.

It sat on all fours with its head tilted to one side while each of us studied the other. Then the newly hatched creature let out a toothless yawn, lost its balance, and toppled over onto its back.

I felt an overwhelming urge to embrace this creature.

“Kyu?” Its sharp eyes locked on mine, and seemed to show an intelligence that didn’t match its appearance.

“Hi there, little fella. I’m Arthur.” I stretched my hand out toward it as if it were a dog that needed to know my scent.

“Kyu!” It jumped off the chair and onto my lap, gazing up at me.

I could feel my hands twitch as I suppressed the urge to squeeze it. It lacked Sylvia’s majesty and fearsomeness, but this creature was dangerous in a different sense.

Unable to resist, I carefully petted the adorable menace. The scales were surprisingly soft, and the red spikes that ran down its back felt like rubber. It seemed all young animals, whether humans or monsters, were squishy and soft. Closing its eyes, it started purring.

I could feel my tension melt away, and I let out a soft laugh.

It rolled onto its back, asking for a more thorough rub. The belly felt like very soft, smooth leather. I took a closer look at its claws and was interested to see that they looked more like paws than actual claws. Its only hard feature was its horns, which were surprisingly sharp as well—rather like the egg tooth a chick would use to crack itself out of its shell.

“Aren’t you just a cute li’l fella?” My smile widened as I stroked this adorable newborn, and I felt almost intoxicated.

Eventually I began to wonder what to name it—which was when I realized I didn’t even know the gender of this mysterious creature.

The newborn shot its tongue out and licked the underside of my left forearm.

I yelped and reflexively pulled my arm back from the scorching sensation, but a glowing black light had begun to envelop my arm.

The prickling pain subsided almost immediately, so I relaxed and waited.

After a moment, the creature pulled its tongue back, revealing a black marking on my forearm.

It closely resembled the tribal markings that had covered Sylvia before she passed her will on to me, but this pattern was that of a wing—just one open wing—made up of several dashes and sharp, branching curves. It looked intricate and mysterious.

Only eight, but I already have a tattoo. I’m such a rebel.

‘Mama?’ The creature was looking up at me, its mouth closed. But I’d definitely heard a voice just then.

‘Mama?’ This time I heard it clearly in my head.

Was this… telepathy?

Shaking my head helplessly, I responded aloud, saying, "I guess I’m your mother. But I’m a boy, so you should call me papa.” ‘Papa!’ It jumped up and licked my nose.

I’m a rebel with a tattoo and a child.

Some sort of telepathic connection had been established between us when the mark had appeared on my forearm. I spent a few minutes trying to communicate with the creature, but it felt more like a guessing game. The voice I heard in my head sounded like a girl’s, so I decided to name the creature Sylvie, after her real mother.

‘Seevy?’ she responded with her head tilted.

Picking her up and bringing her close to my face, I smiled at her. “That’s right! Your name is Sylvie.” She nuzzled her nose to mine, closing her narrow eyes.

Sylvie was remarkably intelligent for a newborn; she already seemed to have the mental capacity of a toddler. Our telepathic communication didn’t take place in any language I recognized—I just understood what she wanted me to know.

It was a very odd feeling, not knowing what words she was saying yet knowing what she meant. Aside from simple words like “papa,” most of her communication came through as emotions. I was able to get the gist of what she meant by how she felt.

“Okay, Sylvie, I need to wash now. Do you want to come with me?” “Kyu?” She tilted her head again while she looked up at me. She seemed to be asking me what ‘wash’ was, so I just laughed and took her with me.

When I stepped under the shower, she seemed to be crying ‘noooo’ as she wailed a shrill “Kyuu!”

“I guess you don’t like water that much, do you, Sylvie?” I chuckled, setting her down in a dry area.

Sylvia shook herself off like a wet dog, wandered around for a few moments, then plopped herself down on the floor next to the shower, her tail wagging.

She sat there, patiently observing me, as I finished washing up.

She exhibited behaviors of both a dog and a cat. Never would I have imagined her lineage to be that of a mighty dragon—assuming, of course, that she was actually Sylvia’s child.

That got me thinking, though.

Was this tiny creature really a dragon? She sure looked like a baby dragon…

but why was she completely black when Sylvia’s true form had been pure white? What baffled me most were Sylvie’s horns, which were eerily similar to those of the demon-king illusion Sylvia had assumed at first—and also to the demon who had confronted her.

I got out of the shower and dried myself off. It was no use thinking about all this now. The important question was: How was I going to explain this to Gramps and Tess?

I left the bathroom, Sylvie toddling behind me and ‘kyu’ing for me not to ave her behind.

I gathered up the pieces of the shell Sylvie had hatched from and set it aside.

Then I took the feather that had encased the stone and wrapped it around my forearm to cover the mark little Sylvie had left.

My mind drifted back to Gramps’ news. Four months. In four months, I would be reunited with my parents. I wondered if they would recognize me.

Sylvie must have felt my sense of longing as I thought about my parents, because she cuddled in close to my face and licked my cheeks.

“Thanks, little Sylv.” Petting her horned head, I fell asleep.

***

The sound of a shrill scream pierced through my ears, jolting me awake.

“What is it? What happened? Who’s there?” I jumped to a standing position on my bed, using my pillow as a makeshift sword, bed hair ablaze.

“Oh my gosh! What is this? It’s so cute!” The noise seemed to be coming from Tess, who was tightly grasping the squirming Sylvie in her arms.

'Papa, help!'

Letting out a defeated breath, I fell back into bed. Come back, my beautiful sleep…

“Her name is Sylvie and she just hatched from her shell yesterday. You should let go of her, though. I don’t think she likes being strangled.” My words were muffled by the pillow covering my head.

It’s too early in the morning.

Sylvie had finally freed herself from Tessia’s grasp and was hiding behind me, glaring at Tess. She let out a high-pitched growl.

“Don’t worry, Sylv, she’s a friend,” I said, petting her head and giving up my hopes of being able to go back to sleep.

“She’s adorable!” Tess exclaimed, staring at my cautious hatchling with her mouth agape. I could practically see hearts come out of her eyes as she inched herself closer to us, her hands twitching like a predator’s.

“Okay, now you just look scary, Tess. Get out of my room so I can change,” I instructed, pushing the enthralled princess out the door.

I dressed in a loose robe and pants. As I was putting on my shoes, Sylvie jumped onto my head and nestled into my hair, hitching herself a ride.

“Kyu!” She sure sounded happy.

I walked downstairs, saying good morning to the shocked and confused maids, who couldn’t take their eyes off the top of my head. They all ended up having the same reaction as Tess, though, and I had to pick up my pace as I began to fear for our safety.

“Gramps! We’re here!” I shouted.

Grandpa Virion was sipping tea as he read a book. Turning his head at my entrance, he smiled.

“Ah! Here you are, Art! Tessia just left. Why was she fussing about some sort of pet that…” His voice trailed off, and his cup dangled limply in his hand when he noticed the horned black lump sitting on my head.

“T-that’s…” He stuttered and spluttered before finally managing to ask,

“What is that?” His eyes never left the top of my head.

“Er… I think she’s something like a dragon, although I’m not entirely sure myself.”

“Kyu?” I could sense Sylvie’s caution about Virion through our mental link.

Hearing that I had arrived, Tess burst through the door into the courtyard, practically bouncing up and down.

“It’s a dragon? But it's so cute! Art, can I hold her? Can I? Can I?” she begged, eyes sparkling.

Sylvie began growling and hissing at Tessia as if they were mortal enemies, and her claws stabbed into my scalp.

“Ow! Ouch! Sylvie, your claws!” I tried peeling her off my head, but she wouldn’t budge.

Grandpa Virion—still half-dazed, trying to make sense out of the creature on my head—finally spoke up.

“If that really is a dragon… How did you come across an egg? How did you get it to hatch?” “The dragon who gave me her will entrusted me with a stone. I thought it was just a keepsake, or at most maybe a valuable gem. I didn’t know what it actually was until it hatched. What do you mean by ‘get it to hatch’?” I was confused now as well.

“Dragons’ eggs—assuming that really is a dragon—require more than just the passage of time to hatch,” he explained. “It is said that the dragon inside must sense that something capable of protecting and loving it is close by before it will hatch. Even then, there must be a very close bond between them.” I tried to think what might have triggered the hatching, and almost immediately came to a conclusion.

“Activating the will, Gramps!” I exclaimed. “I think that’s what made her come out!” He scratched his chin, nodding slowly. “That is a viable explanation. The draconic races haven’t been seen for hundreds of years, and we have very few records of them, so I can’t say for sure—but there’s no use thinking about it now.

Just be sure to keep the hatchling close by at all times. It does look very much like one of the draconic races, but I am one of the few who would be able to make that connection. Most people wouldn’t know that creature was a dragon, so you should be fine if you pass it off as a sort of rare mana beast.”

With that settled, I placed Sylv on the ground beside me and prepared for the morning’s training. For the next four months, my training would consist of learning to utilize the power of Sylvia’s will, as well as condensing my mana core into the next stages.

“Accessing the first phase is simple, yet may take a lifetime if comprehension of your beast’s will does not come naturally. While your mana core is only dark red, your body right now should already be beyond that of a dark orange stage mage.

Since the ceremony, you should be able to feel a small area inside your mana core which holds the will. It’s best to reach the acquire stage through your own learning, not by being taught.

In my experience, the best way to trigger your beast will is through continuous combat.” “Makes sense to me,” I replied, already stretching my body.

“Good!” he said, with a confident smirk on his face. “Let’s fight.” The days went by quickly, as I was completely immersed in training.

I was able to access my first phase, but I wouldn’t be able to use it in an actual fight until I gained more control over it. Virion also taught me how to conceal my beast will so other mages wouldn’t detect it. After the assimilation, my mana cultivation grew by leaps and bounds.

Sylvie didn’t seem to change much as the weeks went by, other than becoming even more intelligent. Her vocabulary was still limited, but it was much easier for us to understand each other. I spent a lot of time with Tess— she dragged me out with her every free moment we had, trying to make as many memories as possible before I left.

We went to holiday festivals, visited Tess’s favorite shops, and took part in other everyday activities of elven life, meeting scores of people at every event.

Then, just like that, the four months, once so far away, had passed.

Dressed in a simple olive-green long-sleeve tunic and black pants, with the feather wrapped around my forearm, I came out of my room. Grandpa Virion and Tessia were waiting for me outside.

“Arthur, take care,” he said. “We’ll find some way to contact you and stay in touch.” He handed me a small oval compass made of silver. “Take this with you so you can navigate through the Forest of Elshire if you’re ever in the area. Or maybe you can just find another princess to lead you back,” he said with a wink.

“Grandpa!” Tessia yelled, smacking her grandfather.

“Ouch! It was a joke, little one!” Grandpa Virion yelped while rubbing his side.

“As the heads of state, Alduin and Merial will be attending the tournament, but Tess and I won’t be going. This will be the last time we’ll see each other for a while. Until next time, Arthur!” He grabbed me in a strong hug, almost knocking Sylvie off my head.

“I’ll miss you, Art,” Tess sniffled, tears lining her eyes. “Be sure to come visit again! Don’t go chasing after human girls, okay? Promise me, okay?” I hugged my dear friend and patted her head, which was awkward since she was still taller than I was. “We’ll see each other again soon.

And you’d better be stronger than me the next time we meet, Tess! With Gramps teaching you, you’ll have no excuse.” She gave me a feeble nod, either unable or unwilling to speak past the sniffling.

I waved goodbye, then followed behind Merial and Alduin, who each gave me a sympathetic smile. I hadn’t really spent much time with the king and queen, but we were comfortable with each other, and I hoped that, next time I visited, I would be able to develop a closer relationship with them.

I got into the carriage with the elf representatives, while the king and queen were escorted into a separate carriage.

“Well, look who it is!” An elf boy wearing a highly decorated purple robe smirked at me. “If it isn’t the human thug. Did the royal family finally kick you out of the kingdom?”

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I felt like I should know this elf, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on where we might have met. Meanwhile, Sylvie was growling, pointing her horns in his direction.

He bolted up angrily, pointing an accusing finger at me. “I’m the noble you mercilessly attacked in defiance of the customs of the duel!” It suddenly clicked.

“You’re the bug I sent tumbling!” I yelled in realization —a bit louder than I had meant to.

“You dare…?” His face turned bright pink and his ears twitched profusely in anger. A few elves behind him desperately tried to cover their snickering.

“You may have gotten away with cheating when we were children, but were we to duel again, I would win easily.” “Ah—sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. I can’t recall your name, though.” I extended my hand.

Face still red, trying to preserve what little dignity he had left, he rejected my handshake and declared pompously, “I am Feyrith Ivsaar III, descendant of the noble Ivsaar family.” A young elf girl—perhaps a few years older than Feyrith—piped up, saying,

“You can just call him Feyfey like we do.”

“Don’t tell him that!” Face turning an even darker shade of red, Feyfey turned his head away and took a seat.

I sat down next to Feyfey and gave him a sympathetic pat, and he responded by angrily smacking my hand away.

Our carriage went through the teleportation gate with the now-familiar sensation of the world being pulled away from us.

“We have arrived in Xyrus,” the driver announced.

Taking a quick peek out, I saw a throng of people surrounding us, all politely clapping at our entrance.

This tournament was intended to improve the difficult relationship between humans and elves throughout the continent. It wasn’t just about gathering gifted youths of all species together, but also building a future where they could learn under one roof.

It was an exciting venture the nations’ leaders were embarking on and would hopefully be a turning point in interspecies relations, but it was also an intimidating move which would, no doubt, be filled with disputes and hostility.

After passing through the crowd, the driver pulled the carriage up to a small gap between two buildings and signaled to me that this would be the best time for me to leave without being noticed.

I say goodbye to Feyfey and the rest of the representatives and wished them luck. Feyfey merely whipped his head away, but he also gave me a slight wave. Jumping down from the carriage, Sylvie still perched on my head, I made my way through the alleyway and tried to remember what my parents’ home had looked like.

After an hour of wandering around, I finally managed to find the huge manor where they were supposed to be residing.

“We’re home. Sylv. We’re finally home,” I muttered shakily under my breath.

“Kyu?” she said, as if to say, 'I thought we were at home before.'

I dusted off my shirt and pants, walked carefully up the flight of stairs, and took one deep breath. Then I knocked on the giant double doors.

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