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The tightness of the flesh walls closed in around him, his heart pounding as he felt the strength in his limbs leaving him, the oxygen within the small space quickly filling with his exhaled breaths, leaving him with a headache that only continued to grow. He called out for help, begging the creature to let him go but all that he heard in response was the pluck of his guitar, a soft chuckle, and a gurgle around his body as the timid acids began rising up to his neck. He tried swimming higher, the pool only climbing as he reached up for the surface. But soon enough it pooled over him, leaving him to grasp in a final attempt to somehow escape, a ringing in his ear that sounded almost like a beeping. He blinked, that sound so out of place and yet so familiar.

…………………………………………..

It was only then that he awoke with a gasp, eyes going wide as he sat up in his bed, hands clenching the sheets over his legs. Much to his relief, he was in his room, sitting in bed, the light from the sun pouring through the windows on both sides of the apartment, the soft orange hue of the sky greeting him as he woke. He groaned, feeling the beating in his chest begin to simmer down, still thinking about the dream. 'That really happened… I… This is crazy…' For a moment he had forgotten about the dragoness as she wasn't at the side of his bed but a moment later she walked back into the room from the closed door, phasing through in her Familiar form.

Her blue eyes shifted quickly to his, giving a huff, “Finally, you're awake. You ready to go?"

He gave a soft hum in annoyance, wiping his eyes before reminding her, “Well, unlike you, I actually have to take some time to wake up first and get something to eat…" He then let out a long yawn, cracking his neck a little with a tilt of his head before pulling the sheets off himself. It was only as he felt the cool air from his room wash around his thighs though that he looked down at the bulge in his boxers, yelling once again as he hurriedly pulled the sheets back over it. “Ah, fuck! Shit… Sorry, I uh…"

She rolled her eyes, turning towards the window as she walked towards it, “Alright, just hurry up. It's hard enough having to sit through the night without being able to sleep. I'll be outside." Without another word she then stepped into the window, passing right through with a quick flick of her tail before disappearing out the other side. He gulped, watching her leave before slowly stepping out of his covers once more and putting on his clothes. He could feel a blush on his cheeks at the encounter, 'A second time? God, I'll have to get used to this… There's a girl in my house, a… dragoness… Why is that so hot?' But he knew why and she likely did as well from the porn she'd most likely seen from the night before on the open tab of his computer, trying to shake the thought from his mind as he got dressed and made his way to the kitchen to grab something to eat before heading out.

He looked into his roommate's open door as he passed by, the room filled with clothes and random things strewn across the floor. It wasn't absurdly messy but he certainly wouldn't be able to live in that sort of state. Regardless, his roommate didn't seem to be present, continuing downstairs until he made his way to the first floor and started making some cereal. He preferred Honey Oats, the clattering of the dry food inside the bowl making his stomach growl before pouring in some milk and moving it to the small table they had set out between the open living room and the counters for the kitchen. He pulled out his phone as he made himself comfortable, staring at the home screen blankly for a bit as he tried to wonder what he should do.

His life was being flipped upside-down but at the same time, he was still living at least somewhat of his daily routine. It felt surreal, making even checking the apps on his phone feel somewhat pointless as the ever-lingering sense of uncertainty filled his mind. He eventually sat it down, eating some of the sugary cereal as he thought about the library. “Okay, guess we're doing this. We'll read some books and see if we can find… something to help her." 'I'm not sure there will be anything of value though on “Familiars" as that's something I'd assume to be covered in the locked-off section of the library… Still, it can't hurt to try and check.'

“What are you eating?"

He inhaled sharply, nearly dropping his spoon as he'd been so caught up in his thoughts, putting it in the bowl before looking over to Vera as she looked around at the kitchen and at his bowl. He apologized, “Sorry, um. I'm eating some cereal. Honey Oats. It's one of my favorites. Why you ask?"

She glanced around, walking slowly as she grumbled softly, wings at her sides, “While you were asleep I had plenty of time to wait around and think so… I figured I might as well see what you were doing before heading out."

He blinked, giving a soft nod before taking another scoop as he went back to eating. As he did, he thought back to the serum his father had made, keeping note of it in his mind before realizing he hadn't mentioned it to Vera yet. “Hey, if I'm going to go along with this and help you I need you to be willing to help me do something at the same time." She looked over at him, squinting as he continued. “I, well my father runs a company that once tried to create a potion that could stave off the effects of digestion to help keep prey safe but it ended up failing since the requirements for such a serum would involve gathering the digestive fluids of many different creatures. I was hoping that since we'd already be inside the stomach of creatures that maybe we could gather the acids afterward. You know, like the ones that clung to my clothes yesterday? I was thinking we could put them into some sort of container to gather them for the potion. That is if they would still be willing to work on the idea again…"

She gave a loud growl, opening her maw to retort before stopping herself. Instead, she glared at him, swerving her head away to huff. Her tail would have certainly lashed and broken something if it wasn't for her being in her Familiar form, the angered dragoness taking a deep breath before responding somewhat calmly, “You know what? Fine. As long as you bring the vials or whatever with us to collect it I couldn't care less what you do. It doesn't matter to me as long as we get this done."

He let out a hum, dipping his head slightly as he tried to ignore her attitude, “Thank you. I was thinking we could pick some up after the library on the way home. I hope you don't mind walking?" He then paused, realizing that it wouldn't really make sense to take the car with her if she would just phase through it once he started driving.

He chuckled a little at the thought, Vera looking over at him with a curious eye, “What?"

“Ha, sorry I just… I was thinking about taking the car and you trying to sit in the back only to fall through the seat… It was a funny thought." He smiled nervously, a bit of relief washing over him that he hadn't realized he needed until just now. She on the other hand rolled her eyes and flicked an ear, huffing.

“Yeah, haha, very funny. Just finish up eating and let's head out." He smiled, trying to stay positive as he munched on some more of the cereal, looking over at her. She noticed his gaze, huffing but changing the subject as her ears pulled back, “Hey, uh, where's your roommate at? Wouldn't he hear you talking to me?"

“Oh, he's usually at work at this time. It works out well that he's already gone today, so that I don't sound like I'm talking to myself, all alone in the kitchen… that would be awkward. He uh, actually knocked on the bathroom door last night when I was about to shower when I, uh, you know…" He smiled hesitantly, noticing or perhaps imagining a small smirk form on her muzzle from the thought. Not long after though, that ever-present frown returned, looking away from him.

“Yeah? It's… quite different… being able to see others and yet you being invisible to them. It… Yeah." She then shook herself, fluttering his wings momentarily before flicking her ear. “Anyways, you almost finished there?"

“Yeah, one second." He swiftly finished the meal, putting on a positive outlook as a breath of fresh air seemed to fill his spirit anew. 'I got this.' Once the cereal was gone, he raised the bowl to his lips, drinking the rest of the milk with a tilt before setting it down on the table and bringing it all to the sink. He filled the bowl with water, letting it and the spoon soak so he could handle it later. Vera watched as he did, her expression hard to read as he moved to the front door down the hall and slipped on his sneakers. He never bothered to tie them unless they untied, keeping them at a fairly loose amount but just enough to stay snug around his ankle. He hated the feeling of new shoes squeezing all too tightly. Vera followed behind him, stepping through the door in the way she seemed to always do, Mono opening it soon after as he stood and made his way out onto the streets.

The city was fairly quiet at this time of day with only the early risers along with some citizens heading to work. He could feel the sleepiness still weighing him down a little as he made his way onto the sidewalk with her behind him, wishing he could have slept in a little longer. In all honesty, though after the dreams he'd had it made it difficult to want to fall to sleep with the thought of having another nightmare like that. Instead, he pushed forwards, glancing at his new companion who seemed to be scanning the city with a curious gaze. She spoke up after a moment as they reached a corner of the street, still on the edge of town as they made their way further in, “So, this is what it's like huh? The sky blocked out by buildings with the smell of fumes filling the air? This is what you all call paradise?"

He cringed a little at her words, admitting after looking both ways at the empty street before walking across the white lines with her, “Honestly? No, I don't, but that's why I spend most of my time in my room. I uh, don't really like or trust this town. I'd rather just be safe inside and not have to worry about how the world is constantly falling down. I don't know, that's probably a dark outlook on everything, just uh, speaking my mind." He pushed a strand of hair behind his bad ear on the left, moving a little so she could be on his right, continuing as the voices and sounds of cars from nearby began to grow louder. “So, where are you from?"

She paced beside him, keeping a good distance from the edge of the street, her once confident stride somewhat unsure now from the looks of it, tail flicking back and forth, “Um, The Wilds? Where else do you think I'd be from?"

“Oh, well, I guessed that I just… I guess I was curious what it was like where you grew up? You know, before you were captured and all." He barely had to think about the directions to the library as they made their way there as he routinely would visit every week or so to sit and relax. As of Flare's passing though, he found himself less inclined to leave his house, only visiting once a month if at all at this point when he could work up the confidence. They took a left at the next corner, Mono glancing and smiling at a male human that passed by.

Vera was silent for a moment, letting out a soft growl to herself as she avoided his gaze, “Yeah? Well, I don't wanna talk about it. I'm not here for chit-chat, I'm just-"

“I know, okay? You don't have to keep reminding me." He huffed back, scratching his neck with a hand before breathing out, “I just want to get your mind off of whatever has been going on. You seem like you've been trapped all alone with her for years and, I guess I wanna try and help?" A brush of wind carried the smell of a fresh cheese pizza into his nostrils, taking a deep whiff, the crisp spice tingling amongst it smelling of pepperoni, making his mouth water as he looked across the street to the pizza parlor. He hadn't eaten there in a while but he couldn't deny the idea of perhaps ordering some tonight when they got back.

She didn't respond to his words, finding himself unable to make out her reaction as she walked a few steps in front of him. It was at this moment that he unknowingly started looking her over, marveling over those slick markings, her long and elegant wings, her body glowing the softest hues of blue. That mysterious and yet intriguing purple aura surrounding her, seeming to caress every inch of her from her focused snout to her curvaceous hips…

He then jumped at the sound of Vera letting out a loud yell, watching as she jumped back as a car on the road zoomed past, their engine revving loudly as they sped on and disappeared out of view behind some buildings. He then let out a soft chuckle, putting his hand on his chest as she expanded her wings and let out an annoyed growl after a minute. She turned to glare at him, ears pulled back in what he could only assume was embarrassment, “Hey, shut the fuck up! I- Your city is way different than the wilds! We didn't have maniacs driving machines big enough to kill someone!"

He smiled, watching her shake her body as she pulled her wings back down and flicked her tail, “They're called cars, you know? Besides, everyone goes through classes to learn to drive. You're much more at risk of getting eaten than getting hit by a car."

She snorted, looking away, “Yeah, well… It's reckless. I can't understand it. You were given legs for a reason and hell, did the driver have wings? Why would a creature that could fly choose to climb inside a cramped contraption like that to travel?" She then took a deep breath, ignoring him as she looked down both sides of the street. Mono then walked up beside her, looking at her muzzle for a moment before walking across the pathway, her behind him. He caught her cautiously glancing around them as they made their way across the asphalt, her limbs kept close to her body before leaping up onto the sidewalk with him on the other side.

As they made it to the other side, he turned his gaze from her to the large library in the center of the park, a large area of grass and trees surrounding it on all sides, some benches set out with tables for people to read in the sun. The circular building stood proudly near the middle of the city, the glass roof allowing the light to pour in from above to provide the inside with natural lighting. He read the label above the double doors as they entered.

“Library of Enlightenment: Talamaria."

As he stepped inside and held the door open for her, Vera huffed and simply walked through the other closed door, sighing softly at her before closing it and gazing around. The room was filled to the brim with books on the many shelves along the walls, some circling around the center where a young-looking doe sat at a round desk, books stacked beside her as she took one and typed things on the computer. Seeing Orchid once again after so long made him smile, having gotten to know her pretty well over the years as he would come to relax… He then frowned slightly, glancing to the left at one of the offshoots to the main building, the four different hallways at North, East, South, and West creating a break in the bookshelves, leading to small reading chambers at the end.

Vera let out a sigh at the sight of it all, watching her blink before noticing his gaze and huffing, holding her head high. “Well, for as weird as your civilization is, at least they value the preservation of knowledge, even if some is barred off to only the privileged." She then took a step forward, looking around as she squinted, “So, where do we start?"

He hummed to himself, walking over to the desk in the middle to say hi to his friend. She seemed a little preoccupied in her work but hummed happily nonetheless, a small pink flower necklace draped around her neck, complementing her forest green eyes. Inside the necklace where the pollen would naturally be instead was a blue orb, recognizing it as concentrated magic stored within, reminding him of how she'd been taught by a Caster at one point as she'd mentioned before to him. When she realized it was him, her face brightened, ears perking as she spoke up in a soft and welcoming voice, “Hey, Mono! It's good to see you! It's been about… what? Two months since I've seen you?"

He chuckled nervously, pushing a strand of his hair behind his ear, glancing at his arm, “Yeah, I've uh… Just been taking some time to myself I guess. I'm glad to stop by though, even if it won't be for long."

“Oh… Ok! Well, I'm glad to hear you're alright!" She piped up, looking him over before asking in a concerned tone, “Are you alright? I… I know it hasn't been the same since… Still…" Her ears lowered, brushing a furred hand through the hairs on her neck, avoiding his gaze for a second before looking back with a knowing blink of her eyes.

He sighed, taking a deep breath. “I'm okay, I promise. I did have a question for you though if you're not too busy."

“No, I'm free! You know me, just keeping busy to make the time go fast, not that I hate my job or anything!" She grinned, giving a cute laugh before continuing, “So, what do you need? If you're in a rush it sounds like you're looking for something specific."

He nodded, “Yeah, we-" He then paused, glancing to the side at Vera who had begun walking around the desk, checking the little tabs and markers on each bookshelf, trying to understand what they meant. “I… was hoping to do some research on books about, uh…" He then stuttered, gulping as he knew how much he hated the thought of actually asking this, “...Digestion. Like how it works and such, at least for starters."

She tilted her head at this, raising an eyebrow as she seemed to gaze deep into his soul. “Really? I mean, you want to know about that?" She then leaned forward, glancing around, “Are you really okay? You're the last person I would've expected to ask for something like that."

He nodded, trying to hide his own discomfort about the subject as he forced out, “I just… I'm curious is all. I don't like this stuff but… I need somewhere to start and I'm hoping I can find something that can help."

She still seemed perplexed, tapping her hooves on the carpeted ground below her, “Is there anything specific about it you need to know?" She blinked.

“I'm honestly not completely sure. I…" He then broke off, seeming to want to say something before changing his mind, “Maybe the differences between the digestive fluids? I'm not sure."

She pondered for a moment, nodding as she started typing away on her computer. “Oh, okay. So, and I'm not judging or anything but… were you wanting something… erotic in nature or-"

“What? No, no I don't! I'm not into that!" He quickly responded in a loud whisper, watching her let out a breath seemingly in her own relief.

“Okay, okay. Glad to hear you're not thinking about that. I mean…" She then paused, unsure what to say before simply clicking and clacking on the keys once more. “Digestion… Educational… Hmm… We have a section with some books like that on the shelf over there." She then raised a hand to point towards a smaller bookcase by one of the halls, adding, “There's a few different books you may want to look at, but if you're looking at the digestion specifically in a more… informational context, I'd check out, 'The Properties of Digestion and How To Use Them.' Otherwise, I'd look around there to see if anything else catches your eye."

He nodded, avoiding her gaze before turning and walking over to one of the bookshelves nearby, Vera following his lead. She eyed him up and down as he approached, ear flicking, “So, does she have any lead?"

He responded in a soft voice, hoping not to draw attention by seeming like he was talking to himself, “She said there's a book over there about… 'Digestive Properties'? Anyways, let's take a look." The bookshelf she'd mentioned lay beside one of the routes towards a study area, glancing down at the empty room as he made a mental note of it. He even noticed the hammock held aloft by some rope on the left side of the room, remembering the many times he'd relaxed in it to read a book. He ran his fingers over the edges of the books as they reached the shelf, reading the titles under his breath as he tried to find the one she'd mentioned.

Vera spoke up as she watched him glance into the area at the far end of the hall beside them, “Any luck?"

“Just, give me a moment…" He muttered under his breath, noticing the turn of a head at a table nearby looking around Mono in confusion before he gave a nervous grin and continued, focusing on the task at hand. “'Feral Lust or Fear'… No… 'Thick: A Prey's Dream'... I thought this section was supposed to be educational…" He then let out a soft groan, scratching his head before letting out a happy gasp, “Ah, 'The Properties of Digestion'! Ok, this is what we're looking for." He then pulled it out, surprised at how large the book was, weighing a few pounds as he carried it and began walking down the hall to the study room. “Come on, let's sit down over here."

She followed behind him, seemingly quieted down as they began to finally be getting to what she'd been so eager to look at. She watched him as he sat on one of the chairs at the small table, Mono motioning to the couch beside him, “Here, you can sit there. I-"

“I can't touch things, genius."

“Ah… Oh, yeah… Huh, sorry, it's a weird thing to get used to." He apologized, rubbing the back of his neck as she instead just stood beside the end of the raised platform, Mono turning the book so it was facing the both of them. He smiled as she stood on the right side of him, making it easier for him to hear with his good ear, reminding him of Flare for a moment. Then, with a quick blow on the cover and a swipe of his hand to get off any of the dust, he gripped the end of the cover and flipped it open before them.

As the cover was laid open, three colored tabs revealed themselves on the side of the book between the pages, reading: 'The Divine Divide', 'The Tamed Lands', and 'The Wilds'. Vera let out a murmur at the labels, catching the tilt of her head as he then flipped the first page, revealing a page with a long note about the information with the title of the book and the label on the side of the page written in bold, gold lettering.

“The Properties of Digestion and How To Use Them: The Divine Divide. This book is created for the purpose of educating others on the differences between the digestive fluid and processing cycles of the many different types of creatures you may find in both The Tamed Lands and The Wilds. After many studies, we have discovered great differences in the acids used to break down prey and as a result, made this book to document it. We hope you find this information useful and take care in the wonderful and yet dangerous world we all live in."

Then, in smaller words below, it finished, “Blessed be your path!"

Lying just beneath those words lay a quick description of the two different sections of the book, Mono taking a breath before reading it aloud, “Over time, as we discovered the different properties of the digestive fluids, we discovered that there were surprising differences between anthros and ferals of the same species. Because of that and The Divine Divide, we have split the book into two different sections. This is to help better associate where the creatures we mention within are typically found while comparing the differences against their feral/anthro counterparts."

“After The Divine Divide, our once harmonious world was split into two, and with the split came the boundaries that divide the ever-present ABCs: The Abandoned, The Blessed, and The Casters. Even now while we, The Abandoned and Casters, have welcomed The Blessed into our side of The Tamed Lands, many have chosen to live apart from us. Because of this, we will be keeping The Wilds and The Tamed Lands in two separate sections to be as accurate in their descriptions as possible."

Just as he finished Vera let out a loud growl, her lips drawn back in anger as she stomped a paw onto the ground. Her tail lashed back and forth, seething at the book as she swiftly turned away from the book and yelled out, “Are you fucking serious? How self-centered are you people?!" He let out a gasp at her outburst, scooting back in his chair slightly, eyes wide at the unexpectedness of it. She continued, blindingly gazing at the floor, “'The Divine Divide'? That's bullshit!"

He tried to keep his calm, noticing Orchid glance over in his direction before glancing at Vera, talking in a low voice, “What do you mean? I- I would have thought you knew about it bef-"

“That's not the fucking problem! That name… it's practically spitting in the face of the past!" She then walked over to the glass windows by the wall, stepping into the sunlight that only shined through her body, no shadows cast from her form. “There was nothing 'Divine' about what happened back then! I can see why everyone in The Wilds hates you all so much. I seriously thought they might be wrong…" She fumed, shaking her head and body to try and calm herself down. She paced for a few moments, glaring at the book before Mono as he spoke up.

“What… What did they say about us? Is…" He then paused for a moment, trying to keep himself quiet as he hadn't realized he'd raised his voice, “It's always been called The Divine Divide."

“No, it hasn't. What happened back then, when everything went to shit when our truce with The Abandoned and Casters was shattered… It wasn't some sort of holy sign or some sort of… You know what, forget it! This isn't worth my time." She bit her lip, holding her tail still as she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. He watched her cautiously, knowing he couldn't be hurt by her but very confused as to what she meant. He had always read that The Divine Divide was a battle to fight for freedom against The Blessed who sought to rule over them or destroy them… 'I don't understand.'

After a moment she gathered her bearings, gaze shifting to his before walking over with a few lashes of her tail before looking at the book once again. “I don't want to be here longer than I have to, so let's just find what we need to and then get out. It feels disgusting hearing it mention the battle like that."

He took a gulp, many questions revolving in his head as to what she meant before taking a moment of respite for himself before starting, “Let's, um, move on to The Wilds then, to get your mind off of everything here." He looked over, hoping to see her relax a bit, relieved to see her expression soften at least a little despite the occasional twitch of her ear. As he turned the pages to the marker, he added, “So, what exactly are we looking for here again?"

She chuffed, “I don't know, something about how strong they are? There's gotta be something about breaking one out of a spell here somewhere…" In the back of his mind though he doubted it, flipping through the pages to The Wilds section of the book first to study the animals. As it had mentioned in the note, many of the creatures here were much more feral in both their quadrupedal body and in their actions, seeming to fight for themselves and eat whoever they saw that stood in their way. He couldn't imagine what living out there must be like, but he assumed that Vera had a family or something that protected her before she'd been captured. 'I think I heard that some creatures share boundaries with one another to teach and protect the younger ones… Is that how she was raised?'

He glanced over to her, gaze stern and concentrated as always, still somewhat flustered as they flipped from page to page. The sentences mentioned ages, and locations and talked about the strength of their digestion and how they differed from other animals, but even then it didn't seem like there was any clear indication as to what they were supposed to do to help her break free. She huffed, claws extending out into the ground, instead just phasing through it, “No, none of this is helping. Let's try The Tamed Lands section?"

For a few moments Vera seemed to lose the anger in her voice, simply determined to find something of value in the book, even using a paw to try and turn the book to bring it closer to her only to snort as she realized what she couldn't, leaning down to read along with him. She gave a soft growl as he leaned down towards her but didn't tell him off, instead flicking her tail as she looked through the pages. He could feel his heart beating, the dragoness so fierce and slender that it made his very blood alight with an arousal he found hard to fight back entirely. Still, he ignored the growing erection in his underwear, thinking about in embarrassment how she'd seen him in it the night before as he read along with her.

After a while she stood back, pacing around the room again. Luckily for him though she wasn't mad at him, instead huffing and muttering to herself about how they should proceed. He closed the book, setting it to the side as he sat back in his chair and watched her, speaking aloud, “Okay, so… should we just look for the predators that have the strongest digestive systems, or…"

She shook her head, the growling in her voice turning into irritation, looking at him in thought for a moment before mumbling under her breath as she looked at her paws, “Maybe… maybe I shouldn't do this…" She flicked her ear, pausing for a moment before they perked back up once more, turning to him, “You said there was a dark section of the library for The Casters of your people, yes?"

He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, giving a sigh, “Yeah, but I can't go in there. Only Casters can."

“Well… Is there any way you can get us in there without them knowing?" She stared at him seriously, waving her wings in the air for a moment in emphasis, “If there's any hope of finding a way to break out of this, it has to be in there. I can't just… sit here knowing that the answer is right below our noses."

Mono chuckled slightly, adding, “Literally, hehe."

“Huh?"

“Oh, the dark section is, uh, underground, below us." He then lowered his voice, checking the hall before them that no one was nearby before whispering, “Even if no one was here, Vera… There isn't some sort of door we can break through or use a key for. The only entrance is under the main desk and the staircase is sealed away by a magic spell. The only creature that can open that gate is Orchid."

“Then convince her to let us down there!" She insisted, pushing her snout forward, only inches from his. He moved his head back, blinking and letting out a groan.

“Convince her? How would I do that?"

“Well, the two of you seem to know each other pretty well. I'm not blind. She seems to like you from the conversation you two had a moment ago and-"

He gasped, shaking his head, “What, no! No, we don't! I, uh… We're just friends." He then continued, looking in the direction of the doe, eyeing her up and down before returning his eyes to Vera, “I mean, yeah she's young and cute but… I'm not into that type of shy and cute thing."

She huffed, raising an eye, “Oh yeah, then what kind of girl are you into?" She gave a tilt of her head, those icy pupils knowingly searching him for the answer.

He gulped, feeling a blush growing at this coming from her, unable to stop himself from taking in the sight of her body and haunches for a moment before avoiding her gaze, stuttering, “T-that's not important! I just… Can't we just find another way?"

She rolled her eyes, that annoyed expression returning before motioning to Orchid with her tail, “Listen, if anyone can persuade her to let someone downstairs that's you. She cares for your well-being and even if you're not into her, I don't think it's that far-fetched to think she'd try to help you if she knew that what you needed could help." She took a deep breath, holding her head high, giving a soft hum as she tried to bite back her words before asking with a glare, not looking him directly in the eyes, “Please?"

He thought over it for a moment, empathizing with her as he couldn't understand what it must feel like to have such knowledge so close and yet so far. Sure, his heart didn't like the idea of asking his friend to do something against The Code of Casters but… Was it wrong to say no if this was their only hope? He then thought about the serum and how much good this could do if he made it out alive. Surely they'd forgive him then!

He closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself as he tried to hold onto courage, looking back at her, “Okay, I'll try. I can't guarantee it'll work though. She's been working here for a long time and I doubt she'll just let us enter without a good reason."

She let out a breath of her own, her wings relaxing at her side and tail slowly to a less erratic flicking than before, “Alright then, let's go. Don't screw this up, okay?"

He stood back up, grabbing the book to take with them as he eyed Orchid for a moment, humming, “...No promises."

He didn't like the thought of trying to use his friendship with her to get into the library below but if she knew it was for a good cause, that it could save a life then maybe bending the rules wouldn't be such a bad thing? He remembered the first time he'd come to the library and met her, asking her where the fantasy books were and getting to learn that her family had run the whole library for over two hundred years! Whenever he would stop to get his mind off work, he'd lie in the hammock at one of the ends of the hall and lose himself in a book about dragons and mythical creatures like the ones in The Wilds. When he met Flare, the two of them would meet up and share a book together, making the visits more of a regular thing since they enjoyed each other's company and the quiet of the library so much.

After a while, even Orchid began joining them, grabbing whatever book she was currently reading and sitting at the table to chat while she was on break. It wasn't until after Flare disappeared though that he started showing up a little less, every month elongating the more he stayed at home as going to read wasn't the same with his best friend.

He let out a groan at the thought, Vera waiting beside the desk as he talked to Orchid. The doe looked him up and down, asking, “Hey, what's up?"

He bit his lip, looking around before talking in a low tone, “Orchid, I know this doesn't make sense, but I need you to trust me and understand I wouldn't ask this if I had any other choice."

Her cheerful gaze quickly turned serious, worried eyes gazing back as she looked around as well before standing up and leaning over the counter, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear, “So something is wrong..? What's going on?"

He glanced over at Vera as she walked through the middle desk again, searching the floor for what he assumed was the entrance, tearing his focus away from her and onto the conversation once again. “...I know you aren't going to like this, but… I need to go to the library below. There's… there's someone who really needs something in there."

She blinked, taken aback from the moment, “Y-you? Wait, what do you mean? I thought you didn't like magic?"

“I- I don't, but… Right now someone's life is in danger and the answer to what we need is down there."

She clopped her foot hooves on the ground, giving a pained grunt, “Mono, you… You know I can't do that. No one is allowed down there but the Casters chosen from the Council."

He swallowed, closing his eyes for a moment, dipping his head down, “I know…" He then took a deep breath, glancing over at Vera, her eyes meeting his, watching him keenly with a curious expression. “But this isn't about me, it's about saving the life of someone else and… many others if possible."

Her eyes widened at his words, squinting soon after with her snout slightly agape in shock, “Who? Who are you trying to save, and what down there are you looking for? I can't just let you down there…"

“I… It's too hard to explain. I… She… Is trapped." He heard Vera give a low growl, glaring softly at him as he mentioned her, deciding to avoid the specifics of her request, “The only way I can break her free is to find a way to break the spell that's keeping her like that. I was hoping, reeeeally hoping we could find what we needed in the book you told us to look at but… you know these books don't teach you about magic."

She glanced to the side at a pile of books on the desk, thinking to herself as he continued, “I'm not planning on casting any spells, Orchid. As you said, I don't want to do anything like that, I promise. All I want is to break someone free, to help them escape this curse."

She shook her head, looking him up and down out of the corner of her eye, her furred hand over her muzzle as she spoke, “Mono… what am I supposed to say? I… I want to help you, I do… I could tell something was bothering you, more than just… what happened with Flare…" She gave a sad sigh, staying quiet for a moment, “But… I need to protect the books so they don't fall in the wrong hands. It's, like, my one duty as the Book Keeper."

Emboldening himself, he then placed his hand onto hers, hearing her gasp at the touch as he asked again, “Orchid, I promise you I want the best for the world, for the city and all the Abandoned… What I'm doing won't just break her free but will also save the lives of so many and… possibly even yours in the future." She blinked, trying to gaze deeper into him, “You have to trust me. This is our only chance. We'll be in and out, we just need to find the book we're looking for. Please."

She moved her fingers beneath him, looking at them before drawing them back. She then held her hands together, feeling the warm fur as she closed her eyes and breathed. For a moment that stretched into what felt like minutes, he wondered if she would rat him out and call the authorities, fearing that he may have made the worst decision by asking such a thing from someone who kept to her morals and much as her. But when she answered, instead of words, she used the hand he'd held and gave a twist of her finger.

He could hear the soft chant of an unknown language on her tongue, noticing the soft blue glow from the center of her flower, flowing forth into the palm of her hand. As she blinked, he caught the faint glow of the aqua colors painting her eyes, focusing on her spell. Then, with a rumble of stone, Mono watched as the staircase revealed itself, the once solid stone floor in the center of the library shifting, one step at a time descending down in a spiral within the circle of the large counters. It stopped halfway around the desk, Vera backing up as she watched before Orchid spoke up, her eyes returning to the bright green they were before, “Go. Don't make me regret this…"

He dipped his head, whispering thanks to her before following his companion down the stairs as the dragoness hurried on ahead of him. As they descended down into the cellar, walking into a small hallway, he found himself surprised by how much darker this place was than the well-lit open area above them. He then let out a gasp, the steps behind him raising back up, closing until only a solid wall stood where they had entered. He nervously laughed, mumbling, “Welp, guess we're stuck down here for now… Let's take a look around."

At the other end of the hall lay a dark wooden door, a stained glass mural for a window at the top, splashed with the two clashing colors of magic, giving off a faint glow that dimly lit the room among the otherwise pitch-black corridor. Two crystals, one of Pure and Dark stood on each opposing side, the soft blue jewel sparkling while the purple gem sent out crackles of glowing purple streaks from the core of itself, reaching out with its dark mist to try and corrupt the pure side. It was like a battle and yet he'd seen many images of this drawn and written on tapestries and paintings throughout his life. It was a constant reminder that in a world where magic could be harnessed came the temptation to hunger for more, for bigger and darker spells. He believed that was the reason the spells were set apart from the normal books because that desire for limitless possibility coupled with the dark world they lived in would be nearly impossible to control if let loose.

He shook his head, watching as Vera's tail flicked side to side, disappearing through the door into the room beyond. He opened it shortly after her, closing it behind them, leaving them cast in complete darkness with only the soft glow of the mural to cast a blurry image of itself among the bookshelves and floor nearby. He squinted, coughing slightly at the dust seemingly drifting through the air, sniffing before looking around for some sort of switch to turn on the light. Vera seemed to be searching as well as he spoke up, “I overheard that the cellar had been built long ago but… I thought there would at least be a lamp or…"

“Here, I found something." He glanced over to the dragoness as she spoke up, barely able to make out a long ledge that seemed to span around the edges of the entire room. Within the space along the wall lay many pieces of coal, set out as if to ask them to set it ablaze. Vera took the hint, focusing within her inner chamber before letting out a jet of flames upon the dormant rocks. They responded ferociously, igniting within moments in a roar, her blue flames dancing to life as they trailed around the outer edges of the room. It traveled quickly, rippling down the sides like a wave against the shore, the once dark room now cast in the flickering gaze of the fire.

The room was smaller than the library above, completely encased in stone bricks both on the floor, roof, and walls. There weren't any tables or chairs either here, only a few rusty bookshelves placed among the room in four small rows. As he took a step forward cautiously, he couldn't help but notice how few books there really were here compared to the multitude above. The shelves on the furniture were half empty, books leaning against others or stacked unevenly as if to show how unused this place was. He even saw some candles set beside the books or on top of the wood, making a shiver pass through him. “This place… it feels like we're back in medieval times or something…"

The two of them spent the next thirty minutes looking through the different books, carrying them into a central spot onto the floor to read through them, Mono having to grab hers as she couldn't touch them. But after enough time Vera spoke up in a growl, baring her teeth, “Ugh, none of these are what we're looking for! They're all about Pure Magic! I thought you said they had books on Dark Magic down here!" She turned to stare at him in confusion and annoyance, standing back up and looking around the room.

He gave a hum in response, throwing his hands up as he stood and began searching the last bookshelf in the back left row in the room, “I did too! She said that this was where all the Casters learned their spells on Pure and Dark Magic… So where is it all?" Just as he said that, running a finger across bookends, he noticed the wording on the end of one of the thicker books. 'The Power of The Dark.' He reached and gripped it to pull it out, only to let out a gasp as it tilted backward, held back by something. There was then a scraping of stone and metal from somewhere beyond the wall of flames, a once solid wall behind the fire now shifting like a ripple in a disturbed lake, revealing a secret bookshelf within the transparent 'stone' casing.

Vera jumped up at the sight, Mono following soon after as she spoke up, “What did you do? What is this?"

“I found a book that talked about dark magic and… it opened this up. What do they say?"

He read along with her, noticing only now that the fire had crawled away from in front of the books, stopping at the side where the secret compartment was revealed, letting them look them over. “'The Dangers of Dark Magic', 'The Spirit of Love turned Shadow', 'The Dark Forest and The Creatures that Dwell there'... AH! This HAS to be it!"

He quickly stopped his searching at her exclamation, watching as she reached out by instinct to grab it before her paw slipped through, causing her to let out a growl before stepping back for him. “There, you see it?"

He nodded, carefully drawing it out from between the other dark books, marveling at how old the book must be from how the front and back were worn, little burns and tears across the beautiful frame. On the front cover was a blue crystal, a faint purple aura surrounding the area around it, much like the wisps around Vera with the dark purple words of the title inscribed in an expensive-looking material above. “'The Book of Familiars'! Yes, this is it! Come on!" He then quickly moved back to the other side of the room where they had been sitting before, getting onto his knees before placing it on the stones between them, Vera daring to get a little closer to him to see it more clearly. He glanced over at her as she scooted towards him, feeling a little flutter in his heart, flickering like the blue lights grasping at the air around them before opening the book. “Ok, let's see…"

He ran a finger over the words on the first page, reading them to himself. 'Dark Magic is not something to be played with nor abused for power. Unlike the Pure Magic that resides in the Blessed, Dark Magic comes from a much more sinister place and can cost you your life if you aren't careful. It wreaks havoc on the mind and stains the skin with its corruptive mark.' He then glanced to the side, knowing he couldn't see Vera's charred neck from this side but thinking of it.

She glanced at him, blinking with a huff, “What?"

“Ah, sorry, nothing. Just thinking." It then continued, 'It acts like a poison, only growing in danger over the more and more Dark Magic cast. To combat this, the Spirits of long ago gave the Blessed a gift they could share with a Caster should they choose. This gift was the form of a Familiar. At this time, when Dark Magic began to grow out of control, the Spirits created the ability to make Familiars for the purpose of two minds working as one. Out of the many great Spirits of Life, only two of them decided to create the spell, doing so in secret as they were blinded by their own beliefs. But once it was made the spell was permanent and even when things went downhill shortly after there was nothing the other Spirits could do to get rid of it.'

'One becomes a Familiar by using the Pure Magic spell on another that makes them into one. Originally this was created in hopes to bring the Casters and Blessed back together, bonding two souls into one. The power of a single soul could not fight back the corruption but with a second soul connected to the same body, they would be strong enough to fight off such a force. Even then it wasn't perfect as the power of the Dark Magic's origin was too great to be completely confined, still able to contort and tempt the mind towards the path of evil.'

'Yet, despite the attempts to use Familiars to combat the Dark Magic and bring peace, The Tamed Land and The Wilds still chose war. Instead, they harnessed the Concentrated Pure Magic given to them by the Blessed and used it against them, imprisoning them to their will. Over time it grew worse, combining Dark Magic to prevent the captured Blessed from being able to think or even control their own body so they could use them for their schemes. At this time, things grew darker, but luckily the world eventually turned for the better, the Abandoned realizing the horror that had unfolded and instead retreated to The Tamed Lands to stay separate from the Blessed… and the past.'

'Let this book serve as your guide and history to the past of the Familiars and the abilities that come with them.'

'Blessed be your path.'

He paused after the front, trying to process all the information as Vera reached forward to turn the page with an annoyed growl as she shook her head, paw just drifting through it. “Weren't you the one giving me a hard time earlier when I told you you couldn't touch anything?" He then chuckled.

She squinted at him, ear flicking, “Yeah, yeah, I know. We don't have forever down here. There's got to be some page about breaking the spell!"

He nodded, calming down after a moment before continuing once more with the focused 'ness at his side. He flipped through many pages, two of them catching his eye 'Magic Enhancing' and 'Soul Absorption', the latter written in golden letters, making him want to read more. Reluctantly he flipped past it, reading the title on each page until he found the one they'd been looking for. “Here it is! Look!" He pointed at the page, Vera leaning down to read it, looking over as her eyes darted over the page, tail held still behind her. He read it slowly, trying to drink it all in.

'How to Break the Spell of a Familiar.'

'When the two Spirits made the ability, they were so confident and hopeful to create peace once again that they were blinded to the selfishness of the world, in turn sealing many creatures both Blessed, Abandoned, and even Casters within the crystals they'd designed. Originally there was only one way to break free from the spell, or curse as some may call it.'

'The only way one could break free from the curse was when one of the participants involved in the bonding wished to break free. At first, this was perfect, but when Dark Magic was introduced, only the one who cast the spell onto the Familiar in the first place would be able to choose to reverse it, preventing the Familiar from escaping its bondage.'

Below it showed an image of a Caster and Familiar slowly shifting from the Spirit form, just like the one Vera was in, back into their physical form. He assumed that whoever imprisoned her must have done the same as the latter words above. “Is that why you can't escape? Because she used Dark Magic on you?"

She paused, seemingly too engaged with the reading before blinking at him and giving a flick of her tail, sighing, “Yeah? I would've escaped earlier if she hadn't. That's the whole reason why I have this surrounding me." She then flared her wings, looking at herself. It wasn't until a moment later that he realized what she was referring to, the purple aura around her form swirling in soft waves.

“So, it's like a barrier between you and your freedom?"

“Yep. This little… invisible thing is keeping me trapped. It's ironic really. It's invisible but so am I. Yet even though I can pass through the strongest mountains this small spell holds me firm." She then looked down at her paws, giving a shake of her head before turning back to the book. He followed lead, gazing at the next page.

'But after a time, one Caster and Familiar decided to try and find another means of escaping for the cases where one was forced into submission. It was said they tried many things but simply put, magic in general and Dark Magic at this is extremely hard to break. Eventually, it is said the Familiar somehow came in contact with the digestive fluids of another animal, the Caster and her quickly realizing the effects it had on breaking down the barrier as she'd found some of her abilities she'd lost like needing to sleep returning to her.'

'It had been discovered that, as dangerous as it was, that a certain combination of an animal's digestive fluids could slowly break down the magical barrier, degrading it and freeing them from their Familiar form. They tried again soon after, wondering if the exact animals mattered, and much to their dismay it did. Over time the exact list of creatures needed was finally narrowed down after many years, leaving the list below.'

'There was one catch though. The only way they could break free was to Soul-Link with one another, turning into the form of the Familiar's original body and then being soaked in the fluids of each of the enzymes, one creature at a time. Because of this, the practicality of the Caster willingly bonding and searching out the animals to break their Familiar from their own spell was next to none, proving the search fruitless. Nonetheless, we have recorded the research here in case of it ever being useful to generations to come.'

He stopped for a moment, looking at his hands and then across Vera's body, momentarily trying to imagine what the words were saying as she looked back at him with a soft growl of disgust. He bit his lip, noticing her hold back her words as they both finished the section. Below the words was the list of many different animals, Mono realizing he should write it down as he took out his phone, opened the notepad, and typed as he read.

'List of Creature's needed (In no particular order):

#1: Panther

#2: Phoenix

#3: Fox

#4: Snake

#5: Griffon

#6: Plant

#7: Hawk

#8: Forlorn Echo

Search with caution, as the world doesn't take kindly to those brave enough to face it.'

He took a deep breath, trying to process it all as he looked over at the dragoness. She seemed a little overwhelmed as well, rereading some of it before slowly standing up, blinking. The fire in the room was the only one to fill the silence, singing in its crackly voice, the blue tone reminding him of the bond he now shared with her. With a push of his hair behind his ear, he started, closing his phone and slipping it into his pocket as he sat there beside her, “Okay… wow… alright, we got it. This… is the answer we were looking for. Right?" He had no idea where to start but if this was truly the only option they had he knew he'd have to be confident in it. He did feel a weight in his chest though as he realized this wasn't something he could simply let her do without him, so he could return back to his old life. They were in this together now, whether he liked it or not, and that scared him a little.

She seemed lost in her mind, blindly staring at the ground a few feet in front of her, opening and closing her muzzle as she thought to herself. “Well… we know what we need to do now, but…" She then growled, eyeing him up and down with a grimace before standing up and turning away.

He tilted his head, closing the book, and standing up with a sense of uncertainty in his voice he didn't know was there, “What's wrong? We've been looking for the answer for this- No, you've been looking for this for… for forever. I thought this was what you wanted to hear?"

“Yeah, it is what I wanted to hear, just…" She then turned her head to look at him over her wing, the purple wisps swaying calmly over her form, the dark blotch on her neck facing him, “Sharing a body with you? Letting you control me? Ha!" She laughed, baring her teeth as she tried to calm herself.

He stuttered, holding his hands together with one thumb rubbing the back of the other, “Listen, I don't like it either, Vera. I… I don't even know what 'Soul-Linking' with you would mean, but…" He then paused, staring at her scar, reminding him that whatever she went through to earn it didn't come without a price. “We're locked together with this bond we've already made. We either work with each other or…" He stopped short, his words caught in his throat, fear rising up as he wondered if he could do such a thing as going on an adventure as ambitious and dangerous as this. Sure, he sounded confident, but he knew in his heart that the task ahead was bigger than himself and that made it hard to think about. Instead, he pushed the worries to the side, telling himself he had to remain strong for now… for her, even if she refused to like him through it all.

Her tail lashed, closing her eyes once again with a flick of her ear before sighing, “I get it, okay? You don't need to remind me… Fine. Fuck!" She exclaimed, a shiver seeming to pass through her body as she shook herself, “...If this is the only way, I'll make it work. But you better realize I won't forgive you if you try and do something funny when we're Soul-Linked. I've had enough of Rekali toying with me in the past and… the thought of someone doing that again… it…" She turned her eyes away, wings falling at her sides as she focused on her breathing.

“Rekali? I think I heard you mention her once before. Was she the one who captured you? Turned you into a Familiar?"

She nodded, tail flicking, “Yes. That's the bitch who's done this to me. I… I'm going to break free, one way or another." Her glare then traveled to his, watching him closely before closing her eyes and opening them to relax once again. Her tail slowed, holding her head high, glancing at the book in his hands. “Okay, so what now then, huh? Should we keep reading?"

As if on command, the mural of blue and purple shined brightly, the voice of Orchid resonating softly in the room from the door, “Mono? There's a Caster who will be here soon. You need to leave. Now." Then, the light faded back into the soft glow once again, leaving the room to the flickering light of the fire.

He glanced to Vera and then back to the book, speaking aloud in frustration, “What are we supposed to do? There's so much more here! We… We can't just leave this! She won't let us down here again!"

“Can't you just check out books from the library?" She raised an eyebrow.

He blinked, shaking his head, “Not books like these. Not unless you're a Caster."

She then walked towards the door, speaking with resolve in her step, “Then ask her to let us borrow it. We need it and if that's the only way…" She then turned back to look at him seriously, a somewhat fiery warning in her eyes that made his skin crawl, “Then we're gonna fucking try."

When they climbed the steps, he held the book close, keeping the front of the book facing his side so no one from the main library could see what it was about. Orchid greeted them in a rush, happy to see they were back before noticing and complaining about the book. It took some convincing, but when he told her this was exactly what they needed and that he would return it as soon as possible, she gave a reluctant groan before letting them leave with it. He thanked her happily, Vera even letting out a breath of relief, the two of them exiting and heading home as the librarian swiped her finger and closed the staircase once more as they left.

The two of them didn't speak much on the way home, Mono simply heading to the nearby pharmacy to pick up eight glass vials for the serum, one for each of the eight creatures they needed. He still felt the pit in his stomach and unease about being eaten, the fear of it all growing as he felt the need to run and hide under the covers, but this wasn't his choice anymore. This was the reality of his future and he had to face it to the best of his ability. For himself, and for Flare as he knew he would have wanted.