Cheng Hu winced in his sleep. He could feel the pain all over his body. His eyelids twitched but they remained closed. How long had he been lying in bed, barely conscious ? He couldn't say. He had never felt so exhausted. He couldn't even muster the strength to open his eyes. He was helpless and miserable. What a shameful state to be in for one of the most powerful Mage in Selnan !

Of course, even the best Mages, in Selnan or elsewhere, could not hold a candle to real dragons. The battle, high in the sky, between the legendary dragon and the Lysanian dragons had been epic and Cheng Hu would have been satisfied just witnessing such grandeur from afar.

The sky had turned red with fire, the scales of the dragons had been glistening like jewels, sometimes shining brightly with magic just like Xian's skin when his magic core was leaking magic elements, dragon's breaths had erupted from almost everywhere, powerful and unpredictable like thunderbolts. It had been truly magnificent, awe-inspiring, frightening and, truth be told, it had been blinding with an almost unbearable heat, the atmosphere sizzling with magic. Cheng Hu had deeply felt the gap between his own power and the dragons, even though he had always painstakingly improved himself over the centuries.

But he'd had no time to feel dejected. Everything had been happening too fast and in the big picture, even a tiny clue could help him breakthrough and increase or improve his magic. This dangerous battle had been both an unforgettable sight and an invaluable lecture for him. At his level, it was nearly impossible to find a teacher, someone both more powerful and knowledgeable than himself. Such opportunities were few and far between. With the hints he had managed to grasp, he still needed the many centuries to come to reduce the gap and benefit from the event that had happened before his eyes. Dragons were truly a mystery.

However, as usual, Soon-Yi had not shared his eagerness and exhilaration. The dignified Great Mage had been unrecognizable throughout the whole battle. She had not been angry, annoyed or childish as she always was when dealing with Cheng Hu. She had been in a state of utmost panic, reckless and fearless in regards to her safety but vulnerable and fearful as well. She had seemed all over the place but Cheng Hu knew better. He could clearly see she had been completely and strangely focused on the black dragon and Xian, oblivious of anything else. In this state of mind, and to Cheng Hu's dismay, Soon-Yi wouldn't stay in a safe place, rushing directly in the middle of the fight to rescue her foster son.

How could Cheng Hu shy away ? His pride would never be able to bear Soon-Yi's quips, should she catch him cowering in fear and awe. This head-strong and unreasonable woman could really get on his nerves ! Most of all, he had yet to spark such an extreme reaction from Soon-Yi and this didn't sit well with him.

Lying in his bed, long after the battle, Cheng Hu let out a small, imperceptible sigh. Whether it was because the pain subsided slightly and he would soon fall asleep or simply because he and Soon-Yi were still alive, he didn't really know nor mind. He had never felt so exhausted, mentally and physically, in his long life. His semi-conscious mind was filled with dreams of dragons, battle, blood and terror. He must have been too naive and overlooked the mental strain of such a dangerous situation. Obviously, any heroic deed, fighting with his life on the line in an overwhelmingly unfavorable battle, could be a traumatic, or even deadly, experience. How could he fail to consider this basic rule of self-protection ?

His current weakened state was surely his punishment for his own recklessness, and the cause was definitely Soon-Yi and her son ! Even though he never woke up completely, Cheng Hu knew Soon-Yi was safe and sound since she had visited him several times already. Everybody thought he was still unconscious. In reality, he randomly regained his senses enough to hear people talk, enter or exit the room.

However, the selnan troops had already suffered heavy losses. Powerful Mages were irreplaceable existences and a few of them, including Cheng Hu, had been caught in the crossfire of dragon breaths. Following Soon-Yi, their de facto commander at that time, had been a rash decision, to say the least. Cheng Hu could only lament their misfortune and lack of foresight.

Nevertheless, the dragons had not launched any direct attacks towards the Mages. It was a relief as the Lysanian troops were prone to capture Mages in order to provide magic elements for their dragons'feed. Moreover, the prisons they called "pools" were a dark and inescapable place created with an ancient space magic where the already long-lived Mages couldn't even die and experienced millenia of slavery until their magic core finally dried out, or so Cheng Hu had heard before. How the captives retained their sanity was a mystery to him and could give nightmares to any Mage.

Cheng Hu's consciousness was drifting away. He felt comfortable and slightly dizzy. No more pain, he was definitely dreaming again. Somehow, it was almost a pleasant dream, Soon-Yi was pouring tea for him and was chatting amiably with him, just the two of them, but she wouldn't stop talking about Xian and Cheng Hu had finally lost it. Even in Cheng Hu's dreams, Xian was ruining the peaceful atmosphere and the pleasant mood. In his dreams at least, the exalted former Great Mage was painfully aware that he was jealous of a mere kid, but mages were basically humans, so to speak.

It had been centuries since Soon-Yi had been friendly towards him, except in his fantasies, but being cold and being totally hostile were two different things. In the harsh reality, they didn't get along at all and their relationship had taken a turn for the worst when Soon-Yi had taken Xian in.

Of course, Cheng Hu was aware that he was being unfair towards the kid : Xian hadn't done anything to deserve this hatred but the older man couldn't help but use him to try and get back at Soon-Yi. Xian was her weakness, even though she remained oblivious, and it was undeniably getting on Cheng Hu's nerves. He had known Soon-Yi for centuries, far longer than Xian but the kid's place in Soon-Yi's heart was overshadowing everything else. She was so blatantly cherishing her son in her own way, while both of them remained totally unaware of these feelings. It was enough to drive the bitter Cheng Hu insane. This implicit rejection was a festering wound in his heart.

Cheng Hu was a dignified and revered mage. Willingly and consciously, he wouldn't stoop so low as to feel jealousy, or so he thought. But he had to admit that his heart was still young and somewhat inexperienced. Centuries had passed in the blink of an eye and he was still pinning for her. How frustrating ! However, he still had a long way to go before he could be honest and open about it. He sometimes also lied to himself, for his own convenience. He didn't want to torture himself for centuries on end. Escaping from reality, denying his feelings, lashing out randomly preferably at Soon-Yi... He could always find a solution to temporarily lift his spirits. Cheng Hu was strong in his own way, but most of all, he was resilient.

Moreover, Xian was still a mere kid whereas Cheng Hu himself had been alive for eons. He wasn't particularly keen on comparing lifespan, life experience and wisdom but he was pretty confident that in most criteria, Xian couldn't compare at all. Even in Cheng Hu's dreams, Xian was the one to monopolize Soon-Yi's affections, so Cheng Hu didn't particularly wish his dreams to come true. However, he wanted to believe the situation was not hopeless. One day for sure, Soon-Yi would be his...

Soon-Yi was walking restlessly in front of Cheng Hu's bedroom. Her attire was stained and torn but she couldn't care less. Unfortunately for him, she didn't care much about Cheng Hu either.

She hesitated, pacing back and forth or walking aimlessly in the small building for a change of pace that was bound to be useless. She had repeated the same routine for days, she was still mad with worry for Xian.

She regretted bitterly how she had always dismissed and held in contempt Cheng Hu's techniques and ways with magic. She had tried several times to locate Xian by using Cheng Hu's map but had failed miserably, almost burning the map down in the process.

When she had glimpsed her son on top of the huge black dragon, her heart had skipped in joy at the sight of him, uninjured and using powerful magic so skillfully. He had erected a strong magic barrier while the dragon was dealing with the offensive part of their team with his dragon breath. She had felt so proud of her son, seeing his gallant and heroic figure, so different from his usual girlish disguise.

At the same time, she was worried sick. Who told him to be at the center of a battle between dragons ? She really couldn't understand the young boy at all, even though he was her foster son. She had always felt that he didn't cherish his own life enough and it was not for want of teaching him the basic rules of self-protection. His recklessness was just his way of brainlessly following his instincts, or so he had always said, not even bothering imagining a slightly believable excuse.

She wanted to get him back at all cost, disregarding her own safety and the troops following her. For a split second, when the teleport artefact had been activated and Xian and the black dragon had both disappeared right before her eyes, she had felt an overwhelming despair. Arthur Caucel, who was supposed to hold on the artifact, was probably with them, but he never replied to her or send any message through their magic communication channel. If she could locate either of them, Xian or Caucel, she might be able to follow their tracks and give chase once again.

She knew her relationship with her foster son was not the best. It was one of the reason why she let him leave so often, even providing him with missions. However, she had always felt somewhat lonely when he was away. She was watching over him from afar, sometimes, she stepped in to help or clear up when he messed something up. Wasn't that her duty as his only family ? In short, she could never leave him alone, however much she wanted to. She had promised to help him, the last scion of a fallen royal dynasty, survive and overcome his fate. Nevertheless, even though she was truly worried, she intended to lecture him sternly.

Just as she had resolved to f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y use Cheng Hu's magic and she had more or less managed to shake him out of his blissful dreams and wake him from his slumber, Arthur Caucel unexpectedly contacted her. The message was too short, only a few sentences. He was in the Infinite Forest, in the legendary dragons dwelling, and had somewhat recovered from his ordeal. Xian was not with him anymore but Soon-Yi was determined to interrogate Arthur Caucel face to face.

In a hurry, she increased the strength of her body and carried Cheng Hu on her shoulder, speeding towards Caucel's location. Poor Cheng Hu was not out of the woods yet. He had just regained consciousness but Soon-Yi was not about to let him off the hook. Xian's whereabouts were still unclear, Cheng Hu's magic would surely help locating the elusive kid.