For the first time since his return, Leander laughed without a hint of sarcasm or mockery. Dropping onto his butt, Leander rubbed his face – continuing to laugh despite his hands being covered with mud after Narina knocked him into the dirt saving his life – causing Leander to rub more mud onto his face.
Although the storm showed no signs of stopping, pelting his face with large raindrops, Leander looked up into the sky with a large smile. The light of day had finally come, and not a moment too soon.
"Narina, I don't know how you managed to knock the Stalker over. But you did save my life, I can only thank you-"
Turning to smile at Narina, Leander's smile froze.
Where the small and scrappy Narina should have been – the very girl Leander had just carried across miles of woodland in his arms – something else now sat in her place.
Instead of Narina, a beast rested a few feet away from him. Leander recognized it instantly – the same dragon he had knocked unconscious while making his way to Riku's home.
Jumping to his feet, Leander was about to strike first when the dragon spoke.
"Leander? What's the matter? you look like you've seen a ghost or something."
Slipping on the wet grass, Leander fell back down.
The dragon stepped forward, tilting its head as it moved closer to Leander. Its reptile eyes seemed familiar; in fact, it all seemed familiar, from its brown scales to its slender horns and purple hair. It all added up, the final nail that confirmed it was the jagged scar on the dragon's chest.
"Narina? Is that you?"
The dragon, Narina, smiled.
"Was it not obvious?"
Leander turned away, annoyed by how oblivious he had been. The resemblance was impossible to miss – the same wild purple hair, the dragon's brown scales mirroring Narina's skin tone. The only real difference was the size of her horns, which were smaller in her human form.
Picking himself up, Leander considered this.
"So, you're a beast? I suppose that explains why you could translate Stalker's chittering… Although, I do have a question."
Lowering her hind legs, Narina sat.
"What's your question?"
Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Leander crossed his arms.
"I thought dragons were supposed to be strong?"
Narina struck the ground multiple times with her front legs, kicking up the turf, an exacerbated noise escaping her scaly lips.
"I hadn't eaten in weeks!"
As Narina finished striking the grass, the storm finally broke.
Leander and Narina looked up as the dark clouds broke the sun's light, which was finally shining down on the Wilds in full force.
Leander and Narina looked up as the dark clouds parted, allowing the sun's golden rays to finally shine down on the Wilds in full force. The damp grass shimmered, shining brightly. Trees of the forest, heavy with rain, their leaves began to drip rhythmically. The dripping trees make the forest seem like a miniature-scale storm.
For a moment, it seemed as if the world held its breath, finally beginning to wake up to a new day. In that fleeting stillness, Leander and Narina felt the Wilds stir to life once more.
It didn't take the duo long to reach the edge of the lake. Narina – still in her natural beast form – dipped her head, drinking from its waters. Swallowing, she let out a satisfied breath, raising her head to look across the lake.
"So we just need to cross the lake, right? I still find it crazy that you come from the Undead Kingdom. Sure, you're a little pale, but I never would have known you were an undead… although looking back on it, those glowing eyes of yours are kind of a giveaway."
Narina turned to look back at Leander.
Stood a hundred steps away from the shore of the lake. Leander's face held a look of dread. The instinctual fear he held for the body of water making its return.
"Come on, let's keep walking, if we start now, we might make it to the fog before nightfall. Then, once we've gotten through the fog, it will take two weeks to reach Funerary. Maybe more."
Hearing Leander's plan, Narina's mouth fell open.
"T- Through the fog?"
She was dumbfounded.
"Do you even know what lives within that fog?"
Leander didn't know much about the beings living within the fog. Except for the tremors he felt in the ground and the voice that scraped against his soul. He also knew that these creatures seemed to be unable to leave the fog; at least, nothing had followed him out the last time.
"Do I know what lives in there? Not really, do you?"
Narina paused, slowly looking away.
"Um, no. But my uncle always told me to never go near the fog, that if I went into the fog, I might never make it out alive, and if I did, I might never be the same… You've been through the fog, haven't you?"
Rubbing his face – free from mud, having cleaned his face sometime during their journey back to the lake – as he slowly looked away.
"I had no means of crossing the lake…"
He lied.
"So I thought I'd take the more direct route. The fog drifting from the mountains seemed like nothing at the time, yet when I tried to pass through it, the distance I had to cover was colossal. Or was it tiny? Ugh, that fog messes with your perception of time and distance."
Walking up to Leander, Narina nodded her head, causing her hair to jostle widely.
"So you see why we should cross the water instead of walking around, right?"
Eyeing the lake, Leander shook his head.
"Not happening."
Narina groaned.
"What, you can't swim or something?"
Suddenly, a new thought entered Narina's mind.
"Actually."
She spoke with a wide grin.
"I may have an idea that will not just save you from needing to go near the lake, but also save us a lot of time reaching this Funeral place."
Concern tinting his gaze, Leander watched Narina's growing smile with a sense of unease.
Despite her troubling expression, Leander was open to any alternative to crossing the fog or, worse, crossing the fog.
"I'm listening."
----
The surface of the lake shimmered, catching the sunlight like a vast mirror. Beneath the glassy facade, unseen creatures stirred – fish darting through the reeds, predators lurking in the depths, the eternal cycle of hunting and survival playing out in silence. Then, in an instant, the tranquillity was shattered. A shadow streaked across the water, its presence casting a fleeting darkness over the lake. Below, the aquatic life scattered, vanishing into the depths as instinct drove them to seek shelter from the unknown threat above.
"Do you have to go this fast!?"
Narina's neck bent back, looking at Leander holding tight to her hair.
"You want to get to Funeral fast, don't you?"
Unaware that Narina had misnamed Funerary for the second time, he kept his gaze fixed downward, watching the lake rush past beneath them. His eyes traced the shimmering surface, framed by the steady beat of her wings and the curve of her neck, as the world blurred in their swift flight.
Despite the immense height, Leander wasn't concerned by that in the least. The water still held a tight grip on him.
'What is this… Why is this… It's just water…'
Soon, the blue lake gave way to fields of brown dead grass, the transition of entering the Undead Kingdom barely noticeable at Narina's incredible speed. Vast distances melted away beneath them, and even with his limitless undead stamina, Leander had to acknowledge her swiftness in the air.
With Narina's aid, what had once taken him two weeks on foot without breaks had been reduced to a mere two days in the air – even with the occasional stop to allow Narina to rest.
As Funerary came into view below, Leander patted Narina's neck, gesturing toward the start of the land bridge.
"Set us down there. It's best we walk the last stretch – I wouldn't want them mistaking you for an attacking beast."
Narina gave a small nod before angling her wings and diving swiftly toward the ground. Within moments, they touched down, the wind from her descent scattering dust and leaves around them.
Sliding off of Narina's back, Leander heard a low rumbling. He turned around, raising an eyebrow. In response, Narina fell onto her side, clutching her stomach.
"I'm starving! This place is dead! Dead! The few animals I've seen are all zombies!"
Softly shaking his head, Leander stretched his arms out of habit.
"I'm sure Melaine will be able to acquire something for you. She has a nice garden, she might even have some fruits."
At the mention of fruits, Narina stuck her tongue out, rolling around in the dirt, her tail and wings thrashing about.
"Nooo! I'd rather starve to death!"
A smile faintly lifted the corner of Leander's mouth as he began to approach the land bridge.
"Careful what you wish for."
Watching him walk away, Narina called after him.
"What! What do you mean by that!"
Without a response, Leander continued to walk.
"Leander!"
Quickly scurrying after him, Narina fell in step beside him.
His eyes sweeping from side to side, Leander inspected the landbridge. The last time he had walked its length, Funerary had been attacked by the Goddess' Seraphs, leaving the bridge scarred. Yet looking at it now, Leander would have never guessed as the stone bridge was somehow repaired.
Glancing at Narina, Leander's brow furrowed.
"Can you easily change between your more human form and this beast form?"
Narina nodded.
"Yep! Not every beast is able to transform, but dragons are born with it!"
Stopping, Narina grinned.
"Watch this."
Narina's dragon form shimmered, the air around her warping as if caught in a heat mirage. Scales rippled like liquid metal, their rigid structure softening, flowing, reshaping. Massive wings folded inward, their leathery expanse dissolving into nothingness, while her long tail curled upon itself, shortening but not fully disappearing. The large scar on her chest shrank, moving into place above her smaller collarbone.
Her long, curved horns shrank, turning into stubby points that stuck out of her hair. Her mighty frame shrinking, compacting, until the towering dragon turned into a girl whose head barely reached Leander's chest. Claws dulled and retracted, turning into sharp nails, while the sharp ridge of the dragon's snout flattened, shifting into a human visage.
For a moment, the transformation hung at the precipice of completion – then, out of thin air, blue sparks crackled to life. They swirled around Narina's bare form, weaving something unseen into existence. The shimmering energy wrapped around her like a second skin, knitting fabric from nothingness until the familiar furs she had been wearing reappeared, settling snugly into place. As the last sparks flickered and vanished, the transformation was complete.
In mere seconds, the towering dragon was gone, replaced by Narina's human form once more.
Narina bounced lightly on her feet, holding out her arms, the necklace of fangs around her neck jingling with the motion.
"Ta-da! How's that for a transformation?!"
She declared with a grin.