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“I really think this might be the one, Khrion.”

“That’s what you said the last six times.”

Killian smiled weakly; the dragon’s voice was trying to sound playful, but there was definitely a backdrop of heaviness behind it. “I know, I know, I keep saying that, and so far we’ve had a lot of things come up empty. This is a bit different though...this guy seems to know his stuff, and he’s got more of a scholarly air about him. He’s says he’s had the study of it going for years. And it seems to mesh with some of the other bits of info I’ve found here and there.”

The yellow dragon didn’t seem to share the human’s optimism. “Just be careful...I’m starting to think all humans who think about magic at all are crackpots. And I don’t like that you’re having to face them down alone. Wish there was a good way to protect you while I was away from you.”

“You do a good enough job with your magic, Khrion. I never feel unsafe.”

“That doesn’t stop me from worrying.”

“I know, and I understand. I’ll be careful as always.” Killian wasn’t as worried as the dragon was, but he knew why Khrion was apprehensive. The last three years had seen its share of unplanned adventures on his part, some of which had led him to some pretty tense moments. Nothing that had actually harmed him, yet, but there had been close calls.

He had gone in knowing that returning magic to the world would be a daunting task, not even truly knowing where to start with it. So he went with the reliable standby - when you don’t know where to start, start with the internet. And he spent a boatload of time looking for information online, hours a day scouring through the most obscure and buried websites for someone who might have had some concrete information on the history of magic in the world and its disappearance. Obviously there were some nuts out there who claimed to still practice magic, but he could tell at a glance that they weren’t what he was after. And there were more of those than he would have liked clogging up his research...it had taken almost a year before he found what looked like his first real lead, and they were still coming few and far between, though at least a little more often lately.

Attempts to follow up on the real leads weren’t always effective. Some of them were on websites that were a decade old, even two decades old, and he couldn’t find any hint of the original authors. A few people that he contacted freely admitted they had made everything up for laughs or for worldbuilding for their fantasy works, which at least Killian could appreciate their creativity and ability to make something believable. But then there were the ones who claimed to have real information on lost magic, who were willing to meet him and share their knowledge, a half dozen in the last two years all over the country and even the world. These were the moments of the greatest excitement for him, the prospect of something truly capable of bringing his quest to fruition.

If only that had actually panned out. So far, though, each of those trips had ended in failure. The first contact had ended up being a complete nut whose beliefs on magic were tied to other fantasies about aliens and reptilians that he’d developed over time. The second had tried to recruit him into his cult, and gotten pretty aggressive when Killian had refused, forcing him into a rather narrow escape. The third had faked every single thing, which Killian had only found out after bringing materials back from overseas for Khrion to examine, and had gotten furious about being confronted afterwards, refusing to admit to the deception. The fourth was part of a group of practitioners who claimed that magic could be revived through a ritual that required hundreds more people to join their band, but wouldn’t tell him anything without him doing all the work to get them there, which Killian decided was probably just a way to get them attention. The fifth claimed that he could bring magic back with a blood sacrifice...Killian had only just gotten away unscathed from that, which had put Khrion even more on edge. And the most recent escapade had been just six weeks prior, seeing Killian flying across the country only to find that his contact was a sixteen-year-old with a streak of confabulation whose mother had already punished him soundly for his actions in the past.

“I don’t even want to think about what’ll happen if you get hurt or killed over this.” Khrion’s eyes were sorrowful, and he nuzzled Killian gently. “You already have me worried a lot over how much this is doing to you...I see how exhausted you are some days when you come to my den. I’ve told you many times, it’s okay if you take a break here and there.”

“I’m trying not to overdo it...I guess some days I just get caught up in it. I really want this to happen, I really want something to come from all this work. It’s hard...I don’t know what kind of thing I’m really looking for to find something legitimate. Hitting as much as I possibly can seems like the only approach.”

“I really wish I could help. It’s frustrating sitting here knowing you’re going out and doing so much work and I’m sitting here like a grumpy lump.” Such was the fate Khrion had to live with in his part of this - he still didn’t have any real knowledge of computers, and Killian hadn’t really been able to teach him, as there was no way to power a machine in the den nor anything optimized for a dragon physically. The only role he could play was using protective magic on Killian and checking out anything that the human brought back with him, which seemed like an unfair balance to him. But what could he do when actual travel would merely incite a panic and get him captured or put Killian in more danger? He didn’t let on to the human how much sleep he lost over this...it was a lot more than Killian would have wanted to know about. Even then, he suspected his mate knew on some level.

“I know. Hopefully this one actually pans out, and then we can take care of things together.”

---

A few days later, Killian stepped out of his car and approached a house halfway across the country. It was a fairly normal place, at least on the outside, seeming like the kind of respectable home a respectable person might reside in. Then again, the outsides never told the whole story.

As he knocked on the door, he mulled the information and ideas his contact had offered. It was different from the others...he talked about an order that had drained magic from the world, and even to this day were protecting the means by which it was suppressed. It sounded fictional, except there were references to real locations and organizations that Killian had found surprisingly hard to get real information on. Something extant but extra secret? That held possibilities...of course, there was a real possibility that it was all a stunt. But there was only one way to know for sure.

The door opened, and a slightly tanned man in his mid-thirties greeted him. “You must be Killian.”

“Yes...thank you for letting me meet you, Mr. Bianchi.”

“Please, just Roy.” He waved Killian in, and Killian followed him into the house. The inside looked rather normal overall, which was a good sign. “I’m happy to have met someone who seems to have an interest in this...I honestly never thought I’d meet anyone here who would have an interest in this sort of thing. Forgive my curiosity, but how did you come to focus on such a thing as lost magic?”

“Oh, it’s just...you know, one of those things where you hear some rumors, and learn just enough to be suspicious of everything you’re told. I admit, there was some personal fascination with the idea, though...a whole era of knowledge lost? It’s fascinating and horrifying at the same time.” Mentioning Khrion seemed like a bad idea, he doubted Roy would believe it anyway.

“The past rarely stands up to full scrutiny, but it’s almost impossible to give full scrutiny after so long anyway.” They entered a study room in the back of the house, which had quite a number of books in it. Roy sat down in a seat and bade Killian do the same, then let out a sigh. “When I think about what was done...maybe it’s that I’m so removed from the era, or that I never saw the point, but I never saw it as a blessing. Maybe it was a thousand years ago, but somehow I have my doubts about that as well.”

His face, to Killian, had the countenance of someone bearing a heavy burden. For something he claimed to have happened over a millennium ago, that seemed odd. “Maybe you can lay the backdrop for me?”

“I wish for nothing more. My family has, for generations, been part of Ordine degli Arcani Estinti - it translates to ‘Order of the Extinguished Arcana.’ The sole purpose of their existence, the sole reason they continue to survive and sustain themselves, is to maintain the erasure of magic and keep the knowledge of that erasure from the world for the benefit of the Church. They are a Roman Catholic religious order...not one with any official association with the Vatican, mind you, I doubt there is much awareness of their existence among the See today.”

Killian felt a sense of electricity - this wasn’t something that Roy had mentioned before. And yet, somehow, it had this distinct air of plausibility to it. “It’s...a rogue religious order?”

“The term ‘rogue’ may be a bit far…” Roy leaned forward, resting his chin on clasped hands. “I did not stay with them long enough to learn all the details, but I can tell you what I was taught when I came of age to join the order. It wasn’t exactly my desire...I had always wanted and planned to emigrate to the States, and I think my father was hoping to keep me invested in remaining in our homeland. Hm, if he had known that it was only driving me away.”

“The course of human history has been fraught with loss. Loss was the reason magic became what it was...the destruction of the Library of Alexandria took with it so much knowledge, setting progress back in many significant ways. In the void of that halted advancement, people turned to magic, or as it was called then, arcana...there were arts practiced here and there, but never on a grand scale until then. Worship of natural spirits flourished as the solutions to their problems were found in the arcane arts. And many creatures of the age flourished in the high-arcana environment, creatures which remain in the collective consciousness even as the truth of their existence was wiped away.”

“However, these practices did not come without opposition. The Catholic Church opposed any sort of magic, believing that it was the work of demons and that the only true path to paradise was through Jesus Christ. They steadily grew their power to combat magic practices and gain influence, eventually becoming the state religion of the Roman Empire, which they believed to be the most powerful force on Earth. But magic proved more powerful...the fall of the Empire came when arcana-aided armies pushed back against their attackers and reduced the empire’s influence, and thus the Church’s. There was, I was told, a time when even the Vatican privately believed that pagan beliefs would become the predominant force in the world.”

“It was somewhere in the late 9th or early 10th century that ODAE came to the Church and told them that they would wipe the force of arcana from the world and leave nothing to stand against their return to prominence. It was a time of great upheaval for the Church...the Cadaver Synod, the Antipapacy, everything seemed to be falling apart. No one is certain who gave the blessing to ODAE, or if blessing was even given...regardless, they went ahead with it. They had constructed an enormous beacon made of crystal, that was believed to have been delivered to them from God Himself, and through ritual rites infused with the language of the Church, activated it and began to drain arcana from the very world itself. I believe it’s most likely that this act was in itself arcana, but made palatable by using religious symbolism. Apart from that, I know very little about the true nature of the mechanism.”

“What I do know was that it was ruthlessly effective. Within a century, arcana was all but gone, the flow of natural energy within the Earth wrapped up in that crystal prison, where it continues to flow to this day. Creatures that thrived on arcana faded away, the spells and rituals that had served the people so long no longer worked, and the Church, whether they truly knew what had happened or not, rushed to filled the void just as arcana had filled the loss of scientific progress. Over time, even the knowledge of the existence of magic was lost, relegated to the realm of fancy, and the age of arcana was recast as an age of degradation and darkness rescued only by the Catholic Church.”

Killian had listened silently to the tale, utterly enraptured. If this was a fiction, it was a FINE one - everything seemed to line up fairly well. “And ODAE is still at it?”

“They are. The Order is far sparser than it was at its height, but there are still families who serve it, and monitor the beacon. There is a cavern that they have built their own church within, dedicated to the knowledge of maintaining the arcana prison and its original construction. I have been there, and seen the beacon itself...I saw my father swell with pride, but it filled me with a dread like I have never felt before. I could not fathom being near it any longer.”

“But you stuck around long enough to take some books?”

Roy nodded solemnly. “Yes...I originally meant merely to borrow them, but I could not return to that place. I took them with me, in hopes that someone would be able to understand them...you believe you are that person?”

“I do...I’ve been invested in this for years, if anyone can figure them out I think it’s me. And...you have no problem with the idea that I want to return magic to the world?”

Roy closed his eyes and was quiet for a few seconds. “Killian...have you ever seen something so alive that it makes you question all you thought you knew?”

“I...can’t say that I have.”

“I have. And it thrashes in anguish against a crystal prison. Arcana...it was meant to be part of our world. It was meant for life, to let us thrive and achieve. Since I laid my eyes on that beacon, I have seen in all else the void of vibrance and energy that should have been there. Killian...our world is dying. Earth is becoming a shell of what it should be, all because a group of fanatics wanted their God to be the only force to lead people a thousand years ago. I don’t know that we even have much longer.” Roy’s eyes opened, and for the first time Killian saw the deep despair that he had to have been hiding for so long. “Killian...if there is any truth that you hold the key to restoring arcana to this world...for the sake of all that lives and loves, do not hesitate.”

---

“He did NOT say that.”

“I swear on my life. I know how it sounds, but if you saw the look in his eyes...it wasn’t just dramatic flair, he was genuinely in anguish.”

Khrion’s expression bespoke no conviction in that. “You think he’s telling the truth, then?”

“Let me put it this way: if it’s untrue, he still truly believes it. I mean, some of these guys have been pretty genuine, even if they’ve also been creepy. So it really comes down to whether any of these materials pans out.” Killian motioned to the bookbag, which was pleasantly heavy. “But I need you to go through them for that, I couldn’t make heads or tails of any of them. They’re written in languages I don’t speak as well as some that I don’t even recognize.”

“I’m not sure I’ll have any better luck with those. My magic can only do so much for that. But it’s better than nothing.” The dragon didn’t sound especially hopeful, but Killian didn’t blame him for that - they’d had enough dashed hopes already. “Hand one over, let me take a look at it. See if I can can tell anything off the bat.”

“Absolutely. I mean, I don’t think any of these are magic books, but they might say something about the things they used.” The human pulled out a book and handed it to the dragon, who held it carefully in his claws. “Make sure you don’t wreck it, though…”

“Ugh, you humans make such small books nowadays. I need something I can really hold.”

“Sorry, I guess we decided that since dragons didn’t exist anymore we didn’t need to accommodate them.”

“Hmph. I suppose that’s true...let’s just see what’s in here. Knowing what you said, probably a lot of anti-magic hysteria...why don’t you look through some of the others and see if there’s anything that stands out?”

“On it.” Killian sat down and pulled another book out of the bag, then began carefully leafing through it. It was old, but fortunately in good condition, so he wasn’t too worried about accidentally damaging it. He hadn’t looked in this one, but it was about what he expected - mostly written in Italian, which he wasn’t familiar with at all. He wondered what it was saying, whether it was a transcription of an older work or something more of a modern take. There was also more of that other writing there, some strange markings that certainly didn’t bear any resemblance to any language he knew. They looked more like symbols, in the spirit of Chinese or Japanese writing. There weren’t any such languages that he knew of in European history, though…well, he didn’t know all the languages, there was probably something he was missing. But why was it there?

“Maybe I should have gone and gotten an Italian dictionary. Normally I would have used my phone, it’s got just about everything I need to know. Might be worth taking these back to my computer and trying to do some translation. Might be able to figure out what this other one is, too.”

It took a minute for him to realize that only silence had greeted that response. He looked up from his book, trying to see what had caught the dragon’s tongue, and was startled by the wide-open eyes and hanging jaw that Khrion had. The dragon looked utterly in shock, something that Killian would never have expected. “Khrion? Is...is something wrong?”

Khrion’s eyes never left the book, he didn’t even seem to have heard Killian, as far as the human could tell. Concerned, Killian stood up, intending to go over and try to figure out what was up, but he froze when he heard the dragon finally speak - but, not in any language he understood. “Aru raka...nimota karashito, kuru arota…”

As Khrion spoke, Killian felt his heartbeat start to ramp up...there was an energy in the air, one he’d felt to some degree when Khrion used his magic on him, though that was rare these days. And it was definitely stoked up more powerfully than usual, it was almost as if he could feel a wind picking up in the cave. And it only got wilder as Khrion’s voice grew in volume.

“Sanak tirektha, aru idom netitosi, okor nieto, kitonida yusurko onoetiaia, levoniforta! Rakunato, yonari sita, HA KA SALETO!”

As the last was spoken, a bright flash illuminated the den in front of Khrion, forcing Killian to avert his eyes briefly in the brilliant glow. He was able to look back up just in time to see some sort of ribbons of light in the air before they faded away, they looked as if they were in a circle and were swirling around. Nothing he’d ever seen Khrion do before, for sure. Before he could even ask what was up, the dragon looked at him, his eyes wild.

“Killian...they’re...draconic runes.”

“What?!”

“I...never thought I would see them again except by my own claws. But these...these are real. Not just magic, but dragon magic, powerful and versatile and ever-changeable…they must have used it.”

“Used it? But...I thought they were anti-magic!”

Khrion nodded. “Yes...and this is a Sealing Spell. Designed to nullify magic. They must have used it to drain magic users before they had sucked the magic out of the world...it must have been acceptable to them if their goal was to remove all magic, taking out some of the powerful ones more proactively would have kept anyone from undoing what they did.”

“So...you’re convinced that the story is true, then.”

“I just saw magic I didn’t invent for the first time in centuries. This is no accident. It must be the truth. And that means we have to find a way to undo the sealing on that crystal, and fast.”

He felt like he should have been excited, but perhaps it was that sense of duty and challenge that kept Killian from getting celebratory. Especially since Khrion seemed to feel the same. “Then it’s time to get to translating. I’ll take some of the books, you take the rest...I’ll have to go through them at home, but it might be best if we can work in absolute focus for a while. And I’ll have to start making arrangements...we’re going to have to get there somehow, probably a ship or something, but trying to figure out how to get across the water without someone catching on to you is going to be challenging...you think you’re going to be okay with that?”

“Yes, yes, very sure. Killian...we have a task of great importance before us. Now we know what it truly is...if you see anyone skulking around, LEAVE. Leave and come to me right away. I don’t know who these humans are but if they’re still overseeing the sealing of magic, who knows what they’re capable of?”

Killian nodded, more to comfort Khrion than anything; he doubted he was in any danger, but there was no way the dragon wouldn’t be paranoid now. “I’ll take the utmost care. And you do too. Don’t get so sucked into those that you can’t hear someone coming in that isn’t me.”

“Any blood you smell will be theirs,” assured Khrion.

---

Excitement had been the first thing Khrion had felt. After years of fruitless searching, an answer, finally! And one backed up by the presence of something truly magical within the books, leaving no doubt as to their veracity. With the buoyed spirit brought on by this discovery, he had eagerly dug into the books, using his own magic to translate the funny language of the humans into something he could understand. The more he read, though, the more his eagerness was tempered by doubts and concerns, and far worse.

It was truly an insidious plan that had been wrought on the world. Magic sealed in a crystal prison in a cavern hidden from the rest of the world...all new arcana sucked into the capture device, cutting the rest of the world off. The magic of dragons itself had been used for this purpose, studied for decades by scholars of the ODAE until they understood enough to use it for their twisted purposes. Khrion felt a twisting in his gut at learning this truth, the power he sported had been co-opted for the end of his kind…something he had valued so much, that had been his only solace for ages, felt like it had betrayed him. True, the runes had no agency, only their users did, but it was still hard to swallow.

But it got even worse. Further reading suggested that there was a definite vulnerability of the crystal to the same magic energy it contained, and a powerful emission of arcana could destroy it, releasing the restrained magical power of the world and allowing it to slowly flow back out to its original levels. The sealing spells had been used to restrain some of the most powerful users before they realized what had happened, ensuring that there would be no one around to undo the effects. No one farther away would have any awareness of the cause of the drain - certainly Khrion had never had any idea, he’d believed it to be completely natural until this revelation. But they seemed entirely confident that no mundane means could damage the cage...which meant that he was the only one in the entire world with even a chance of undoing this.

And he wasn’t sure he could do it.

Sure, he was a dragon, one of the most powerful magical creatures of history. But he had only a fraction of the power he would have had in the heyday of free-flowing arcana. He had the type of spell that could do it, he was pretty sure of that, but if it failed to have enough power backing it, there would be a good chance of it failing. If he couldn’t do it, then no one else could, and if what Killian’s contact had been saying was true, the world itself could be doomed in some near future. Or maybe a far future, there was no certainty of any of that. But any doom was bad. There was a way, though...one means by which he could amplify the power of his spell to a very significant degree, perhaps make the chances greater.

Use the magic fueling my immortality.

The very thought of it filled Khrion with dread. Such an act would be unbelievably dangerous...the backlash from ripping that cyclic spell out of him would have impact all around, even if the spell it was fueling was directed. There was a halfway decent chance it could kill himself outright. Killian could be hurt by it, maybe even killed...but he didn’t know if he could have the inner strength needed without the human’s presence. And if it failed? It was no guarantee that he would be successful even with the boost...there was no way of telling just how powerful the cage was. And if he tore that magic out of him and failed, it wouldn’t just make him mortal, it would leave him fading out of existence like every other dragon within a few years. Or maybe even a few months.

And he couldn’t handle the thought of that. Not now. Not when he had a reason...for so long, despite a continued fear of death, he had been content with the idea of dying, almost even wanted it rather than the dreary existence he had lived with for so long. But in the last several years, with Killian, he no longer welcomed the idea of death. Not when there was something to live for. At least, for the time being...he didn’t want to think about what might come after the point he really didn’t want to think about. But to fall after coming so far, condemning the planet and losing what time he had left with the love of his life?

But he was the only one...and he also couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Killian in a doomed world. He wanted Killian to be happy more than he wanted himself to be happy...the human had done so much for his sake. He closed the books on the prison and went to one of his own, shakily opening and turning to a page he had written centuries ago. The scratches were faded, but he saw them clearly - runes he had devised as a last resort, a final fuck you to those who might capture him and try to imprison him for whatever purpose they sought, if they ever successfully restrained him to the point where he knew escape was impossible. Runes to channel his very life force, immortality and mortality all, into one final blast of magic powerful enough to destroy just about anything in existence. A guaranteed death of his own, but at the time, far better than other fates...now, something he didn’t welcome at all, but would do if it meant Killian had his future. If his initial gesture didn’t work...this one would have to. But at a cost he was certain neither of them wanted.

My greatest regret...is that I don’t even know if I’ll be able to apologize if I have to do it.

---

There was no question that the matter was weighing heavily on Khrion, even as he tried to pretend nothing was wrong. Telling Killian about what the cost might be was out of the question - he was certain the human would do everything he could to argue him down, and he didn’t trust himself not to concede. After all, the prospect of potentially losing everything...it made the alternative of just abandoning the idea even the slightest bit palatable. You couldn’t lose if you didn’t play the game.

But of course that wasn’t an option. Not only was there far too much riding on their success, not only had they put too much time and emotion into this to back out now, but Killian was all in and there was no way Khrion was going to disappoint him now. So he had to endure his secret, all while making his personal plans to get things done the way they needed to be. But it was sure making things stressful, especially as Killian began spending more and more of his time with the dragon hashing things out.

“So I think I’ve got a lead on the ship that’ll take us to Europe. We won’t be anywhere near Italy, but I think that’s for the best anyway, I don’t think there’s a port that we could go to that would be secretive enough to get you off. I’m still not sure what we’re going to be doing afterwards, but it’s going to be a trek.”

“Okay.”

“We might have to be careful with this ship, I think they’re running a pretty shady operation. But no one else is going to be letting us go with no questions asked...gonna be a bit of a trial even getting there, that’s another thing I have to plan out.”

“Right.”

“I’m thinking we might need some magic assistance here and there. Certainly for staying hidden once we’re over there...I mean, you’ll need to be hidden, but I won’t. They won’t think much of me...hm, that means I should plan a route where I can stop to get supplies here and there. No one’s gonna think that much of a lone traveler, right? I don’t think I’ll be that suspicious-”

“Killian. Can we...stop talking about this for now?”

Killian looked up at Khrion, almost stricken. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m tired of talking about it. You’re saying plenty of stuff you’ve already said before anyway.”

“Oh...yeah, I guess. But it’s important enough that we want to make sure it’s committed to memory. We only have one shot at this, it needs to be really well planned out.”

“I know that,” growled Khrion a bit testily. “But it’s almost all we’ve been talking about for days.”

“Hey, we don’t have that long left!” Killian sounded a bit put out now as well. “There’s only a couple of weeks until the trip! If we’re forgetting something important, we won’t have a chance to go back for it! I’m just trying to make sure we’ve got it all sorted out!”

“It’s not going to do anything for us to be spending every waking minute going over it!”

“I’m just trying to help make sure everything goes smoothly-”

“I’m TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT IT!”

There was a rather imposing silence after Khrion’s near roar, Killian staring at the dragon wide-eyed. He knew that was overboard, unnecessary...the stress was really getting to him, but he didn’t want to be taking it out on Killian. He took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.

“Look...I’m sorry. I know this is important. I know there’s a lot to think about. It’s just...you’re basically doing everything. You’re the only one who can set all this stuff up, because goodness knows I have no connections and can’t even expose myself to sunlight without putting the whole thing at risk. And while you go over everything you’ve gotten together, everything you have to get together, everything you’re thinking about and preparing for...I just kinda feel more and more useless the more I hear it.” A convenient excuse, not least because it was also quite true - that wasn’t helping his mood either. He might have been able to deal with it better if not for the secret, but it was certainly wearing on him how little he was doing and how little he was able to do.

And Killian seemed to recognize that, because his expression softened as he stepped over to stroke Khrion’s face. “I’m sorry...I should have recognized that. I know you’ve been unhappy with how little you’ve been able to do lately...you’ll get your chance, I’ll be needing you a lot during this trip, to help me stay safe while we’re on our travels. And you’re gonna have the most important role as well…”

Don’t remind me. “I know...but it’s hard feeling this way before we get to that point. I guess I should have said it more...elegantly, though.”

“It’s fine. I wasn’t exactly making it easy on you. I’ll dial it back a bit...you’re right, I’m repeating myself a lot, and it’s not really the necessary kind of repeating. We do still have to talk about these things, though.”

“I know. Just...a bit less, okay? At least until we’re a couple days out...by that point I’ll probably be as anxious about it as you are.”

Killian nodded. “I can do that. You know what...I think we could both do with letting off some steam and feeling better. How about we have some fun?”

Khrion perked up at that. “That would be really nice. It’s been a while since we last had the chance...not since before the last trip. I guess I could use some of that to help with the stress relief.”

“No doubt that’ll help. Easy for you to relieve stress when you transfer it to my rear.”

“Well, you haven’t needed my help to handle that in quite a while, so I’d say you’ve got a pretty high stress tolerance.” Khrion nuzzled his human partner, encouraging him to make with the disrobing so they could get to it. It really had been a bit too long...they’d just both been so preoccupied that it had rather been keeping them from getting together in that way. Maybe that was part of the problem, he HAD been feeling rather pent up lately...at the very least, it was one more stress on top of everything.

Killian didn’t keep him waiting long, baring himself to the dragon with a quickness that belied his own eagerness. Khrion could smell the arousal on him, something that had been lacking lately...maybe he’d been needing the distraction as well, the human seemed pretty stressed out as well. There was so much going on, and he’d been working so hard, he needed his own time away from all that. And Khrion planned to take him well away from all that for a while, bringing him to a height of pleasure that would be above all the chaos of their current situation.

It started with licks over the human’s body, his tongue dancing along Killian’s flesh and allowing him to enjoy the taste of his lover. He could hear Killian moaning loudly as he lapped over various sensitive spots on the human, including those funny little bumps he called nipples on his chest, apparently a thing that humans had and dragons didn’t. He’d explained them once, but Khrion hadn’t really been paying attention...all he knew was that Killian moaned a lot when he licked them, and that was the thing that mattered. He got a little bit more enthusiastic and pushed Killian down onto his back as he kept licking, trailing down his stomach towards his groin...the human was already nice and hard, making it easy for him to target and lick at Killian’s dick and balls. He didn’t mind that Killian was getting especially squirmy - that just meant that he was doing a good job.

“Ngh...Khrion...d-damn, your tongue…” Killian clawed at the ground, pushing himself a bit into Khrion’s muzzle. The dragon was always eager, but this felt especially vigorous! Khrion really was going all out, making him wish he’d tried to get the dragon’s attention earlier...no wonder he’d been so frustrated, he probably had been wanting something like this for a while. Time simply hadn’t been on their side much lately...after this was all over, though, hopefully it could go back to normal.

Finally Khrion pulled away, panting a bit. “Killian...I need you, NOW.” Indeed, his cock was hanging freely between his legs, heavy and dripping. The hunger Killian felt in his gut looking at it...clearly, it wasn’t just Khrion who had been going without for too long. He scrambled onto all fours, rising into proper position as quickly as he could - even then, the dragon’s spell almost came too quickly to hold him in place.

“Ah...think I’ll ever get strong enough not to need this?”

“Part of me hopes not...it’s so much fun to have you at my mercy like this.” Khrion said it in a way that might have sounded a touch threatening to someone unfamiliar. Truthfully, though, much as he still liked this, thanks to how much it reminded them of when they met, he was starting to enjoy something slower and more compassionate as well...there was definitely something nice about taking it slowly and sensually with his mate, an experience with more depth and feeling than just a basic rutting. As needy as he was now, though, that wasn’t happening - he was barely able to restrain himself long enough to get into proper position over the human, the tip of his cock banging against Killian’s back and rear carelessly before he steadied himself and pressed into the human’s rear. He heard the human gasp as he shoved in hard, his knot smacking forcefully against the human’s rear.

By this point, Killian was more than used to this sort of thing - under normal circumstances, Khrion tended to rut him like this once a week or so, and thanks to the early magic use, his body had figured out how to handle it without any significant difficulty. Which wasn’t to say he didn’t FEEL it - each and every time, it felt like he was being split open, but in a way that made him want it rather than something that tormented him. He squirmed a bit in the lockdown he was in, only able to wiggle a little here and there and clench down around the invader, feeling that massive pole work its way in and out of him with only meager resistance.

Enough resistance for Khrion to feel the human clinging to him, though. His large purple spire dragged against those inner walls, getting a nice thorough massage from the human’s ass, making him growl and rumble in utter bliss. Every time he did this, it felt like he was teetering on the edge of losing himself completely, to cede to driving in utterly mindlessly like a base animal, but he didn’t quite fall into it. Nor did he want to, he wanted to revel in this pleasure, not fade away from it. But Killian made it so good, it was a challenge...even when he seemed to be under the dragon’s complete control, it was like he had the means to put Khrion through his paces. Another thing he liked about the human.

Time wasn’t on their side this time, it quickly became obvious that neither one of them was going to last a terribly long time. The human’s rear became a sloppy mess quite rapidly with the profuse emission of draconic precum saturating his insides, dragging out and splattering around every time Khrion jerked out and slammed in. Killian could never be quite that productive, but his own cock was leaking as that throbbing staff mauled his prostate and worked his rear over, the knot already threatening to batter his tight hole into submission. The dragon was good at getting him off, even without giving him the means to help speed that along...he almost enjoyed that, though, having his pleasure purely at the mercy of Khrion’s whims. Not that Khrion ever failed to satisfy in that regard.

All too soon, the human’s body yielded, and Khrion’s knot forced its way in, almost before either of them were ready for it to happen. Khrion couldn’t hold back a roar, taking advantage of those soundproofing spells as he filled his mate up with his spunk. Killian’s cry was a bit quieter and more breathless, but no less laden with euphoria as he too was set off, pumping out his batter as forcefully as he was being filled up with the dragon’s. He could feel the weight of it building rapidly inside him - it had definitely been way too long, Khrion had much more to give than usual, making him bulge out plenty from the sheer mass of it. Another thing he’d gotten very much used to, the dragon certainly knew how to tax his body’s limits...then again, it wouldn’t have been as much fun if he didn’t.

Khrion released the spell on Killian and carried him over to his bed, laying around him and licking him as they waited on his knot. A bit tiredly, Killian reached up and stroked the dragon’s face. “You really went all out there...guess you’ve been waiting on this for a while, haven’t you?”

“You were no less quick to your own release,” the dragon pointed out.

“True, but you were the one doing most of the work. Heh, you build up a lot more in your system than I do, I guess.”

“Dragons used to have a saying - ‘fuck like it’s the last time.’ Never hold anything back, enjoy it to the fullest.”

“Is that so? Well, hopefully they’ll get to say it again soon.”

Khrion nodded, trying not to dwell on that too much. He needed to enjoy this relaxation time, because there wouldn’t be a lot more of it for a while. Cherishing the moment was something he was trying to do more of - he had realized over his many tiring years that even if one had no shortage of moments, if one didn’t enjoy them then there was no point to them. That old saying was something about that same sentiment: give yourself with all your heart and energy, so that you give your all to life.

He definitely wanted to do that with Killian - live, enjoy, and fuck like it was the last time. Because he couldn’t forget that there was a chance that it would be.

---

Despite the respite from the constant talk about the coming adventure, Khrion’s nerves weren’t getting any less frayed. The fact that he wasn’t able to do all that much at this point was still wearing on him significantly, making the other things weighing on his mind all the worse. But as they reached the start of the actual trip, he was looking forward to being able to take more action and actually play his part on their mission.

Except...not right away. Because for the first part, he was cargo.

“This is unbelievably boring.”

“I know. It’ll only be a few days.”

“I thought being cooped up in my den was bad. There’s barely any room to move around in here.”

“This was the best I could do...we’re lucky this worked. I can’t let you out, though, that would definitely lead to suspicion.”

Khrion grunted and snorted. He understood, but that didn’t make things better...it hadn’t exactly been a welcome surprise to learn that he would be spending the journey over the ocean in a large crate. Killian had been apologetic, but this had been the only way he could think of to get Khrion across the sea - pretend he was a large, exotic animal and find a shipping group that wouldn’t care what he was taking. Unpleasant, but there was no help for it - he didn’t have the magic for a transatlantic flight, and no one was going to take a damn dragon with them knowing what it was.

Killian had only been able to talk to him through the crate, and he wished he could do better. It was all he could do to get down there every now and then to check on Khrion, saying he had to make sure his package was still in good condition to avoid arousing any suspicions from the seamen taking him where he wanted to go. He held no illusions that they were honest people - in fact they were probably smugglers, and wildlife might have been one of the more innocuous things aboard their ship, but they didn’t seem to care so long as they got their payment, and Killian had managed to satisfy their demands and given word that he wouldn’t say anything about anything else he saw. The last thing he wanted now was to do something to mess that up while they were on the ocean, trapped with them…

But he also needed to keep Khrion from going stir crazy and doing something that would create trouble as well. So the occasional conversation was all but necessary. “I wanted to ask...what kind of spell are you going to use on the arcana cage?”

“Eh? Something pretty strong. Probably going to have to be to be successful. Why?”

“Well, I’m wondering if I should be around when you do it. If it’s that strong, could I be...um...caught in the crossfire?”

“...It’ll be pretty directed. But my spell’s the least you should worry about. If that thing breaks, it’s going to release a lot of energy pretty fiercely. Because I’m a creature of magic, it likely won’t do anything to me, but I don’t know what kind of effect it could have on you.”

“Ooh. That could be an issue, yeah. I guess there’s probably not much I can do about that, though...it’s not going to really be blocked off by walls or anything, right? I mean, it’s energy that flowed through things, right?”

“Perhaps...but I imagine that the intensity would still be lower if you were further away. The release at the point of failure would be extreme, but everything would spread out evenly after that. So you would be a lot safer several lengths away than right nearby.”

Killian mulled that over. “I guess I don’t want to be too far away when it all goes down...I’m a little bit worried about leaving you all alone. I mean, not for the breaking part, but...if something goes wrong…”

“...I’ll leave you to decide whatever you want. It’s not my place to tell you where to be.” Khrion would have liked to say otherwise, but not having Killian around seemed like it would just make it all the harder for him to muster up the energy he needed for what he needed to do. He wanted the human’s emotional support...almost needed it at this point. “Just be careful...we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“I will be. I promise.” Killian stood again, sighing. “I’d probably better get back up there...I’m worried they’re going to think I’m trying to steal something if I’m out of their sight for too long.”

“Be safe out there, too.” Khrion let out his own quiet sigh as he heard Killian’s footsteps recede. Days more of this...well, at least hopefully it would go smoothly. He didn’t like this at all, but he had magic at the ready if it was needed...holding back wasn’t an option if his human’s life was on the line.

---

It should have gotten better after disembarking the ship. But it didn’t.

Khrion was finally free from the confining crate after several days. Killian’s luck held out, if only just - there was definitely some talk amongst the crew about his strange behavior, but they didn’t give him any trouble and let him off with his package without incident. Getting Khrion to a place where he could be released and go invisible safely was tricky, but he managed. And they were off, traveling the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. After docking in Spain, he knew they would have to travel through France and then into Italy...the cave where ODAE kept the arcana cage contained was supposed to be close to Rome, right on the coastline.

It was supposed to be a little easier on the two of them, but quite quickly they found that not to be the case. The coastline was hardly sparsely populated, with areas of considerably dense human habitation. Frequently they had to break from the view of the ocean and go inland to avoid risking detection of Khrion. The dragon kept up invisibility in the most dangerous spots, but it was fairly taxing and he needed periods where he could safely drop it, which weren’t as common as he would have liked.

Day after day, all they did was walk and talk. And more walking than talking. They didn’t have as many chances to communicate, as a voice from nowhere would have bene hard to explain away. So communication was mainly limited to when Khrion could be visible, or to just ensure that they were still in proximity and hadn’t gotten separated. Even when they were able to talk, the conversations were pretty poor...with everything on Khrion’s mind, he wasn’t exactly proving to be a great conversationalist, and Killian also seemed rather preoccupied with the task they were approaching. So there was a lot of tense silence between them...and it was wearing on them both.

It was about ten days into their travels that things boiled over. They were away from human habitation, and Khrion was finally able to relax and reveal himself, but he was rather tired from all the walking - something he hadn’t done in decades to this kind of extent - and the energy he was spending hiding and keeping out of detection. “How much longer is this going to go on?”

“We’re probably around halfway there. Maybe. I’m not entirely sure where this cave is going to be relative to Rome, so it’s hard to say, but we still have to go through most of France.”

“Rrgh. I don’t remember this damned land being so enormous.”

“Sorry, but there’s no way I could have gotten us any closer. It’s not like I had a lot of options.”

“I know that! I wasn’t saying anything about that!”

“Keep it down! Your roaring’s going to carry all over the place.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. I can’t even talk when there’s no one around now?”

“You don’t even talk that much when you can, suddenly it bothers you?” snapped Killian. “All you do is gripe and complain, like there’s anything I can do about it!”

“It’s not like there’s anything else I want to talk about!”

“Well, maybe you should keep quiet then! I’m not badgering you about anything!”

“Fine, you want quiet, maybe I’ll just give you all the quiet you can handle!”

The dragon stomped off, leaving Killian alone. Fuming, the human stormed off in the opposite direction, heading towards the coastline and sitting down in the grass. It was incredibly annoying how Khrion was acting, pissy about every little thing lately...it felt like there might be something else that was bothering him, but heck he if could get the dragon to say one word about it. Instead, he was grousing and taking it out on Killian...he knew that it wasn’t the most pleasant journey, goodness knew he wouldn’t want to be hiding constantly from every little thing, but sometimes it barely seemed like he cared about the end goal, he was so focused on his irritation. It wasn’t like they were doing this for fun, Killian wasn’t enjoying himself at all either, he couldn’t with the thought of what was coming weighing on him.

The sound of the crashing waves slowly wore down the anger, leaving Killian tired and stressed out, but more himself. He wasn’t sure how long it was before he stood up and turned back towards were he and Khrion had parted. The dragon was approaching again, too - also seemed to have cooled off, though looking no less happy than before.

“...I’m sorry.”

“...I’m sorry, too.”

And with that they resumed. Nothing really had been resolved, but neither of them was sure what they could do to resolve it at this point. All they knew was that they would have to be done at some point, and maybe they could keep a lid on it until then.

---

The travels were definitely taking their toll on both their nerves, but after the spat Killian and Khrion made considerable effort to keep things civil between them. Their task was too important to let tempers get in the way, nor could they afford to be distracted from their vigilance - two more near-misses not long after their fight had them especially on edge. Focusing on making sure Khrion especially wasn’t seen was something to get their minds off of the stresses they had with each other, considering it was an enormous stress of its own.

The arduous journey was at its end, though. Three weeks after they started, the cliffside cave stood in front of them...or rather, in front of and below them. The opening barely visible unless one knew where to look, hidden in the recesses with the roaring ocean standing guard nearby. The waters were quite choppy around the entryway, leaving Killian wondering how the ODAE got in and out easily...they must have had some method, but it wasn’t visible to him.

They had their own methods, though. And well into the fall of the sun, with only a sliver of moon over their heads, they made their move - Khrion’s magic giving them a slowed descent towards the outcropping of the rocks in front of the entrance, not the most stable-looking landing point but the only one they had. Killian still felt a bit ill being pushed through the air in a free-fall, even though it was a rather slow one it was still a fall and he had no power. Only Khrion did, the dragon’s wings shoving them forwards towards their landing point. He couldn’t quite fly without the power of arcana all around them, but his wings weren’t just for show. And that proved to be enough, as their feet found the rocks safely, the waves crashing around them prominently like they were out for their heads and furious that they had failed to catch them.

In the darkness of the night, it was difficult to make anything out - the skies overhead were mostly overcast, swallowing up most of the shining darkness that might have given them a bit of help. Killian had a flashlight, though it felt like it was rapidly swallowed up by the mouth of the cave in front...only about twelve feet high, with the clear signs of man-made interventions but still appearing somewhat weathered by the environment, nothing about it spoke of the sinister contents.

“It doesn’t look like much, does it?” Khrion’s voice sounded weary. Killian didn’t blame him, he was wiped out, too.

“No, not really...I guess that’s not surprising, means that less attention will be drawn to it. Still, yeah, I guess I kind of imagined a more...final boss vibe.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Anyway...yeah, it looks like it ends not that far in, but with the stuff from the books I should be able to find the switch pretty easily. Hopefully everyone’s asleep...there’s supposed to only be a couple people who stay in long-term. I can’t imagine they’ve had an intruder in ages...guess we’ll be the first.” He started to step forward, and then paused when he failed to hear the dragon’s footsteps falling in with him.

“Khrion?”

Turning back, Killian was momentarily at a loss. Khrion was shaking. He couldn’t say he’d ever seen that before...even though it was dark, he could still feel like he could see something on Khrion’s face, some expression that didn’t look promising. Something was wrong...he didn’t know what, but this wasn’t the eager and resolute dragon he expected to see with their task on the verge of completion.

“Is...is something wrong? Can you move?”

“I...Killian…” That voice...now Killian definitely knew something was wrong, there was a quiet despair in there that he’d only rarely heard before. “I...I don’t know if I...can do it.”

“...What? You...you want to…”

“N-no...not want...I…” Khrion slumped, drooping with an evident sadness even if Killian couldn’t see much more than his shape. “I...don’t know if I’m...strong enough.”

“...Do you need time to rest? I know it’s been a long journey.”

“Not...that. Just...at all. I...I read that only a very powerful release of magic can break the arcana seal. After all these decades, with the power as faint in the air as it is, and almost all of what’s left is in me...I don’t know if it’s enough.”

Killian felt a mild churning in his gut; all of a sudden the dragon’s lack of enthusiasm and poor mood lately were entirely explained. “Oh...wow. I...I’m sorry...I wish I’d known. Is there...I dunno, some way to amplify them or something? I guess you’d know that better than I would, but if there’s anything I can do to help…”

“...There’s...ways. But they’re…” The dragon took a deep breath. “I’m...going to have to try...fueling it with the magic that’s feeding my immortality.”

“Oh, gosh...Khrion…”

“It’s...fine. I...I don’t know that I’d want to be around that much longer after you’re gone anyway.”

“Are...are you sure that wouldn’t...kill you right off? You’ve been alive for so long.”

Khrion shook his head. “No...it basically paused me, so I’d just go back where I was. And dragons don’t have...necessarily finite lifespans, as long as they don’t get sick or injured or hunted down they can go on mostly indefinitely, though one of those is bound to end me at some point. That’s how it goes...but even doing that isn’t a guarantee. And if it doesn’t work...then...I’m going to be gone much sooner. With no magic…”

“Don’t think that way.”

“Killian…”

The human stepped over and put a hand on Khrion’s face. With much better night vision, Khrion could see Killian’s features quite clearly...he looked frightened by what had just been revealed, yet resolute at the same time. “We’re going to break that seal. And we’re going to bring magic back to the world. And then I’m going to get some added years to my life and we’re going to spend a lot of time enjoying this new world together. That’s what’s going to happen. Promise me.”

“I…”

“Promise me.”

Khrion swallowed. That sounded like an awfully large promise...but Killian believed so much in him. He had to be strong...he had to have the strength to do it. Lifting himself a bit, he nodded. “I...I promise you, Killian.”

“Good. Then...let’s go. And let’s do it.”

---

The inside of the cave was entirely nondescript - unadorned stone, almost natural-looking, except for the marks and wear here and there that just didn’t seem normal. Nothing that most people would make anything of, which was certainly intentional - for a secret guarded for at least a millennium, they must have been very careful to not leave any signs. Had Killian been on vacation in the area, he never would have thought anything of it - it was only because of Roy’s books that he knew this was where the arcana cage was.

Yet, as they reached the apparent terminus of the cave, with nothing but smooth, weathered stone at the back, he could FEEL it. There was something there...something vibrant, something hard to describe but unquestionably ALIVE deeper within. His heart was beating faster, his body shivering a bit...would a random person have known there was something in there? Or would they have interpreted it as fear, run out and written the cave off as haunted or something? He had no answers to that, and if things went as he hoped, it would be a pointless question very soon.

Off to the right of the smooth rear of the cave, he felt around for a recess in the stone. It was well-hidden, not easily visible straight on - one had to be almost flat against the stone looking parallel to the surface to see anything out of the ordinary. But his fingers were plenty adept, and as he felt around he caught that slight crook in the stone. A bit more poking, and then...there it was, the slight lever that would grant them access. “Khrion…” he whispered cautiously. “I’m about to open the door. We don’t want to waste time...I don’t know how long we’ll have.”

No answer from the dragon aside from a slight grunt - probably for the best, since Khrion’s deeper voice carried more than his. Taking that as acknowledgement, he pushed the lever, and almost immediately there was a sliding and scraping as an opening emerged in the wall - the doors themselves were so seamlessly melded into the wall, it looked like it was a hole opening in the stone itself. Both of them could hardly hold back their awe at the sight; it was a masterwork, amazing and terrifying at the same time. What other secrets could they be hiding?

Speed was imperative, but so was stealth. Killian removed and carried his shoes to try to muffle his footsteps as much as possible, while Khrion merely stepped far more lightly than a dragon seemed like he should - he’d had a lot of practice sneaking up on wildlife, he knew how to tread softly. Both of them felt that presence getting stronger the deeper they went...and soon, the need for light was gone, as flickering flame lamps came into view. They had reached the sanctum...at any point now, they could be seen if the wrong person came by at the wrong time. Their success would depend partly on luck...both of them were plenty nervous, and doing their best not to show it to the other.

One bit of good luck for them: the arcana cage was a straight shot in. Even if they hadn’t had Roy’s guidance on that one, the lively aura would have carried them there anyway - it overpowered every other sense of presence around, even each other’s. In they went, the passage free and open, not locked behind any further doors, the hallway towards it painted with religious imagery, writing that Killian assumed to be bible passages around images of Jesus and supposed saintly figures. He wondered if they directly related to the arcana cage, or just were generic icons.

His wondering ended as they stepped in, and the sight took all other thoughts out of his mind. The far room was a temple or library or both, lined with books and statues and paintings and all sorts of things, but one thing dwarfed them all. It was right there in the rear center of the room...a shining spherical object, the brightness within lashing and swirling about, like a living being. All at once Killian understood what his contact had been saying - the very image of it felt more alive than anything alive than he could ever imagine, it felt almost like the very essence of life. The prison itself was hard to identify - it had been described as crystal, and certainly it had to be something visually similar to that, but it was round with a surface that was uneven, certainly not something constructed so much as natural. Maybe it really was a rock from the heavens, repurposed for this sinister goal...as they stepped closer, they could see the frame holding it up, it appeared to be iron and heavily weathered, though not in such disrepair that it was falling apart.

“I...don’t even know what to say…” Khrion sounded entranced, his voice quivering in awe. Such power, he hadn’t felt in an impossible length of time, he’d almost forgotten what it felt like. “It’s...miraculous...that energy, it used to...be an ocean that bathed the world. Caught here in one spot...it’s so powerful, so much more than I ever could have imagined…”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Anything that powerful is dangerous. But it’s so firmly trapped...it has to be released. I can almost hear it calling to me, begging for me to free it…”

Killian nodded. “Then we’d better get to it, and fast. You think you’re ready for this? You want to test it before you...do something drastic?”

Khrion hesitated. “I don’t know if we have the time...that would be wise if we weren’t in danger of being caught, but it’s a spell that takes a bit to conjure. The powerful ones always do.”

“Yeah, but if this turns out to be excessive...or if it turns out we might need something more...do you think there’s any way to kind of test it?”

“I...am not sure. I suppose I could try, but I don’t know if that will drain me to the point where it could...leave me unable to do enough.”

Killian bowed his head. “I guess...then let’s put our all into it right away. If we-”

“Intrusi!”

Killian jerked around, but that was the last thing he could do - he had just enough time to see the yeller pointing a gun in his direction, before several shots rang out. One hit, then another, and another, and another...his head spun as he hit the floor hard, pain rushing through his body. His head was pounding even harder now, each one furiously painful and gushing out vital life...his vision blurred, the sight of anything but light and shadow becoming indistinct, and even that was slowly fading...

---

Khrion was on him as fast as possible, but tearing away the human’s shirt, he already knew what he was going to see. At least one shot had hit Killian’s heart, and the others couldn’t have been far off. The human had shot at him too, before running away screaming the same word he’d yelled at them - most likely something like ‘intruders.’ The hit had stung but hadn’t pierced his scales, but even if it had, that would have been his flank, painful but not fatal. The human’s wounds, though...even if he channeled all his magic, it wouldn’t be enough.

“No...K-killian…” Already he seemed unresponsive…his nudges did nothing but his a limp form, failing to register even the sharp poke of his claws. He’d seen that look before, so many times in the prey he’d claimed, countless animals over the years with the same glassing over in their eyes as he stole the life away from them...it shouldn’t have been happening, not now, not when they were right there, they were supposed to see this through to the end, it couldn’t be ending like this.

Why...why did it...why did this have to happen...right on the edge of our dream...I...I can’t. I can’t. I CAN’T! I can’t let it happen like this!

Despair suddenly took a back seat - anger, raw, powerful anger tore through him, driving him to action. He grabbed the human and hurriedly dragged him towards the arcana cage. Time was not on his side, but he no longer cared. Only one outcome would be acceptable now, and he could and WOULD make it happen, no matter what the cost.

He lives. Even if I have to die.

With a shaky claw, he tore into Killian’s skin, near where the wounds were. Several gashes in a familiar shape, a draconic rune of life and revitalization - irony that they were being embedded in his very flesh, but the gashes would be immaterial either way. Only the barest sounds were coming from the human even from this violent treatment...he needed to act fast, or even this would be too late. While he still drew breath, the magic might work...and with the release being so powerful from the destruction of the arcana cage, it would have to restore him, so long as he was still alive. But that meant doing no less than everything he could to break it.

His paws hit the stone floor, and he began to speak. “Arukta raska nara yashikohira...rakmuth arikanatoko nivare yankitareza...”

The rush intensified, he could feel it burning from within. His own immortality magic already feeding the spell...it was going to be painful, but trivial compared to the idea of losing Killian. He was ready with his own life force, anything to ensure the human’s survival...but something was happening. The churning force within him...it was far more violent than he had ever dared to hope. A buried tidal wave of energy quaking deep within his heart, suddenly released for the first time in centuries. Redoubling and magnifying, ramping it up beyond his conscious control. So he didn’t try, he simply let it free, the earth rumbling around him as he called forth his arcane power.

“Karateka arivana! Rakita masutono alekriata pracitor! ARIKA! YANO! ARRUTASKA!” Upon the final yell, he felt a rending from deep within him, as he pulled the magic feeding his immortality out to release it, that final push giving the spell force even he wouldn’t have dared to hope for.

The blast was deafening, echoing throughout the chamber. In an instant, the crystalline prison shattered, rent into pieces...and then came the true shockwave, the unleashing of a thousand years of the power of the earth’s soul, sending those shards flying off every which way and booming with such force that even the dragon was pushed back several feet. Hitting him, but also flowing into him, in great gushes, the lost power returning all at once. No...only half of it. The other half, he suddenly realized, had already returned. Magic was not just arcana...it was also spirit. The force of will, of desire, of emotion that drove the living to shape the world...the power that had faded in his endless depression of isolation, borne forth once more in his renewed vigor, his desire to see a new world brought back to him by Killian...that was what had given him strength.

Was his source of strength gone?

Squinting through the brightness, he could see something...Killian was arisen in the air, arcana swirling around him, through him, but Khrion couldn’t tell if that meant anything, he couldn’t see the human’s wounds or tell if he still lived...but then the shape started to twist and shift. He watched, awestruck, as the body stretched and expanded, the skin darkening where he could see it. Which was more and more, the human’s clothing was fragmenting and dissipating, revealing more of the alterations in his body...his legs were contorting and reshaping, getting larger and thicker, and his arms were meeting a similar fate, the hands turning more pawlike. His eyes were still closed, but his face had a strained expression, something not yet dead, but it was changing as his head was stretching out, face lengthening into a snout, teeth reshaping to sharp fangs, horns erupting from the back of his skull. At his other end, a long whipping tail was pushing out, and along his back, large wings were taking shape.

He’s...transforming! Into a dragon!

For a moment, Khrion was at a loss - had he used the wrong rune? But he couldn’t have, they were nothing alike...or had he colored the arcana that was released, and it was purely a byproduct of that? Was that possible? It had been so long, not all of the rules still stuck with him...but as the intense light faded back down a bit, and the newly-reshaped form of the former human thumped to the ground, wondering about that was pushed aside. He rushed over, examining the shape...Killian’s frame was similar to Khrion’s, but somewhat smaller, and his body was mostly blue with a smattering of purple tiger-stripes. He wasn’t moving at first, filling the original dragon with dread...but then he gave a moan and his head rose, eyes opening blearily, and dread evaporated into unbound joy.

“You’re alive!”

It was all Khrion could do to keep from pouncing on Killian, who was staring up at him blankly, but he did rush over and nuzzle the new dragon with tears in his eyes. Still confused, Killian returned the gesture, not even understanding why or how he could.

“What...what’s going on? Why...wait...why do I feel so weird?”

“You...turned into a dragon. I...I’m not sure why, not yet...I need to...rethink, something happened that I wasn’t expecting...but...you’re alive, and that...that’s what matters.”

Still confused, Killian rose up...at first a little unsteadily, but it was odd how natural it felt for him to be on all fours...his brain didn’t seem to register it as unusual at all, like he’d been that way all his life. Something had happened...looking around, he saw that the arcana cage was completely gone, and suddenly things came rushing back. “That guy! He...he shot me! And...you destroyed the cage!”

“Yes! It’s over...the cage is gone! Arcana is free...I couldn’t have done it without you, Killian...you gave me the strength I needed.”

“Khrion...I…” Killian wasn’t exactly sure what to say to the sudden rush of intense emotion Khrion was giving him, but fate intervened before he had to figure it out - several humans screaming in what he presumed to be Italian had rushed into the room, and they looked like they had more potent weapons than a pistol. “We need to go!”

“Ah! Follow me!” Khrion bull-rushed the attackers, and to Killian’s shock he let loose several magical lightning bolts, which crashed into some of the attackers. Hurriedly he followed, now exceedingly grateful that his brain seemed not to be questioning his dragonness in the sudden need for exodus. There were far more humans than he expected in there - had they been waiting or had they just come at the alert? He heard gunshots around him, felt a couple stings as they nicked him, and in his panic felt a sudden rush of energy, bursting out all around him...he heard cries and yells as it did, startling him. Was that magic? He had no clue, he wasn’t even looking...his heartbeat accelerated further as he smelled the scent of earth and smoke around him. Blindly he charged into the caverns again, following behind Khrion, their path now clear. The screams and cries were all behind them, he heard a couple more shots but felt no contact.

The acrid smoke stuck with them as they raced out, until the night air met them once again. Panting, Killian felt a dizziness in his head as he scrambled to stop before meeting the ocean...everything had happened too quickly, he couldn’t process it all. But before he could say anything, a loud rumble and crashing erupted from the cave, making them both turn back. A rush of dust and debris flew into their faces, forcing them to avert their eyes. When it cleared, they looked back, only to see mounds of loose stone not far into the mouth of the cave they’d just escaped from.

“It’s...collapsed…” Khrion panted. “I...don’t hear any more voices...I think...they…”

“Y-yeah...they...probably…” Killian agreed with the unspoken word. “All those books and things...they’re probably gone too...maybe a thousand years worth of history…”

“Doesn’t matter...I think most of the stuff they knew is probably better off forgotten.”

“...Maybe you’re right.”

---

“I...don’t think I did that right.”

Khrion inspected the results of Killian’s latest effort - the very deeply-fired corpse of a rabbit. “Unless humans define ‘cooking’ as charred to a crisp, blackened husk, no, I’d say you did that wrong.”

“Well...there IS well-done…”

“Please tell me you’re joking and that’s not an actual thing humans do.”

“Uh…”

“Gods save us from this barbarism. Meat is supposed to have FLAVOR. It’s not supposed to taste like fire fuel.”

“Hey, I’m not saying I disagree, just that some people are like that. But I’m guessing you’d find a lot of our stuff overcooked, considering how lightly you do yours…”

“You prefer it that way, is that not right?”

“Well, yeah, now I do. Being a dragon changes your tastes...I’m kinda glad you at least cook at all, raw meat kinda makes me feel squeamish still.”

Khrion huffed. “I despise parasites, even if they don’t manage to last long in a body like mine. Cooking is the only way to do that...and there’s something to be said for adding a LITTLE firmness to meat. Not the excess that this is, certainly.”

“Yeah, I know. I guess I’m lucky I have the luxury of practice…”

“You’re learning. At least you can perform the spell...tempering the intensity should be easier. And you did skin it on your own, so you’ve passed one step.”

It was a very different life than Killian was used to - even almost a year after the events that left him this way, he couldn’t say he’d gotten adjusted to it. Partly because there was SO MUCH to adjust to. It wasn’t just the different body, it was the natural magical affinity that was quite a bit harder to control than he had expected, which required him to get quite an intense crash course from Khrion so that he didn’t give away their location a dozen times a day. He’d learned how to control the release...somewhat. Many of his attempts at channeling the magic still proved excessive - his first attempts to skin rabbits had result in them being diced into fine chunks. It was likely to be an issue he would struggle with for a long time, owing to the considerable level of arcane energy he’d absorbed as part of the lifesaving effort Khrion had made.

But he was at least alive to struggle with it. And so was everything else...maybe it was because he was a dragon, but he could sense it, almost taste it in the air, the powerful energy slowly building up and making everything seem more alive. The flora and the fauna seemed more vibrant and lively, the forest around Khrion’s den was far thicker and lusher than it used to be and even the small game seemed larger. He wondered whether the changes had been registered by the human world yet...that would be a question that would still be unanswered for a while.

Khrion, in his wildly energized state right after their escape, had managed to pull off an extraordinarily long-distance teleportation spell that brought them back to his home, something he made clear he would not be able to repeat on that scale. Not that there was any need to at this point in time - they were still in hiding, still mostly confined to the den and the forest, though Khrion had made adjustments now that it needed to house two. They did have a bit more wandering freedom, as the energy in the air made Khrion’s magic more effective and allowed him to craft illusions and more easily turn them invisible when necessary, so that they were less likely to be chanced upon by other humans. And while Killian wished for more company, he was still glad for the time to adjust to actually being a dragon - there was a lot to get used to.

“Hey, Khrion...have you ever done this kinda stuff without magic? You know, skinning and cooking and all that?”

Khrion looked over at him. “Maybe a few times out of boredom...but why not use what we have? If we have the spell, it’s much quicker and simpler.”

“That’s true, it is a lot faster. I just wonder if you ever thought you might be too reliant on it...especially when you were basically the only source of it around for so long. Though I guess since you grew up in a world where it was free and I grew up in one where it just wasn’t there, maybe that’s part of my perspective…”

“I suppose you have a point. There are a lot of benefits to magic, but it doesn’t solve all problems...we might benefit from a balanced way of living. Besides, magic is freeing compared to going without, but there are limits. Certain things are not possible even with it...and certain things are unable to be undone.”

“You mean like how you said you can’t make yourself immortal again?”

Khrion nodded. “Yes...think of it as sort of a, well, scar on the soul. A mark that can’t be wiped away. The way I ripped it from myself left a wound that won’t fully heal, and as such, trying to reapply the magic...well, it’ll just not work. If it were undone gently, it would be easy enough to reapply...well, as easy as it was originally, and that wasn’t what I would call easy, but you get the idea.”

“I’m sorry it had to happen that way…”

“I’m not. I think I’ve had enough of immortality. Even if I have plenty to live for now, I’ve learned my lesson...I’d rather have a day where I can lay myself to rest peacefully than risk another eternity of isolation. Maybe another day will come where I’m at peace with it again, even if I’m not on my own when that happens...and maybe it’s just the next step in a longer journey that I’ve been putting off.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s possible,” Killian agreed, slightly hesitantly. “So...is that also why I’m staying a dragon?”

“Ah, yes...there are...certain implications that come when you carve a rune into flesh. I...wanted to be sure that no matter what happened, you would be saved from death, but I didn’t anticipate how that release would affect you...you’re right, it’s also like a soul scar, barring you from any return to humanity.”

“I see. I was wondering why you were saying that…” Killian shook his head. “But...it’s okay. Honestly, I’d rather be alive and a dragon than dead and never getting to see what this world would be like. Still kinda wish I could go see people again, though…”

Khrion put a paw gently on Killian. “In time...another year, maybe two. The flow of arcana rises more by the day...the creatures of magic can’t be long in returning. And once they are, we will have company again. Though, I don’t know about human company…”

“...I think we will.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. This is a different world than a thousand years ago...I think there’ll be a lot more acceptance than there was back then. Especially with what else this is gonna bring...I think they’ll have room in their minds for the idea of living dragons and stuff.”

“Hm...well, I hope you’re right. I wouldn’t mind seeing how your kind lives for a while, you do make it sound interesting. Hrm, though room in their minds probably still doesn’t mean room in their buildings.”

“Maybe there are ways around that. Are there any spells to kinda change shape slightly? So that you can walk around on two legs rather than four?”

Khrion looked at Killian in utter bewilderment. “Perhaps? I’ve never once had the urge to do that, so if there are, I don’t know them.”

“You should try it sometime. Maybe you’ll teach me enough that I can make something that does that myself...I kinda like being a dragon, but I do miss standing upright a bit.”

“Well, I suppose anything is possible...perhaps I’ll find it amusing for a time. Right now, though, I’d rather do something that requires us to be anything but upright, if you know what I mean…”

Killian stuck his tongue out at the larger dragon. “You always want to do that.”

Khrion grinned back. “I rarely hear you saying no.”

“That’s because you’re very good at convincing me that it’s a good idea. And there’s almost nothing else to do around here.”

“You have to admit, it’s a very fun thing to be limited to.”

“You’re really loving me living with you full-time.” Killian nuzzled Khrion suggestively, his tail swaying a bit. “I’ll consider it one of the advantages as well...even when we do have more freedom to be out and about, I think being with you is how I’d want things to stay.”

“I couldn’t ever hope for anything better. But it will be nice not to be trapped in an isolated den all the time...I’ve had well more than enough of that for a lifetime.”

“I can only imagine. Well, I’ll try to make your last months in that state as enjoyable as possible...for both of our sakes.” Killian rolled over onto their shared bed, settling on his side with his leg lifted, exposing his pucker to the dragon. “Don’t keep me waiting, my mate.”

Khrion could have just pounced at that teasing line, but he didn’t - instead, he slowly sauntered over, making rather a show of his approach, grinning widely all the time. With a purring growl, he ducked his head down to Killian’s tailhole and began to lick slowly, slurping over it and relishing the taste. It tasted like dragon...nearly a thousand years he’d had to go without the scent and taste of another of his kind, he still couldn’t get enough of it. It had him in rapture every time they did this, got his heart pounding again even more strongly than before. Killian as a human had been new life for him, drawing him in a way that he’d never known before...Killian as a dragon did the same thing, while also triggering dormant instincts in his brain that were so finely attuned to dragons that it made it seem even better.

And Killian was certainly approving - his upturned leg was a bit shaky in the air and his moans and purrs were coming out quite robustly as the pleasure coursed through him. Khrion working over his tailhole both inside and around, as well as occasionally lapping over the area where his inner testes were hidden, making each spot feel its own different flavor of wonderful. All very sensitive spots that he’d had to learn to get used to - it had been an oddly new experience to get sexually pleasured AS a dragon, but he’d rather quickly taken to it. And there were some other wrinkles to it as well, like the fact that his new nose was much more sensitive and picking up on the nuances of Khrion’s scent a lot more clearly than his human nose had - and that it was lighting up his brain FAR more effectively. It was no wonder Khrion could get him to agree to sex so quickly, the moment he smelled the bigger dragon’s arousal it was hard to imagine ever refusing the idea.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“Ah...so much…”

“I hear plenty of purrs coming out of you. I think your month could be better served put to use, though…”

Killian didn’t need to be told twice what that meant, and he was ready as Khrion shifted his rear end over to the smaller dragon’s head. He could see that thick shaft hanging low over him, and eagerly reached his neck up to start licking at it. One definite upside to the change was that it was a lot easier to do something like this - his body was shaped in a way that made Khrion not need to take supremely uncomfortable positions for them to tongue each other at the same time. His paws gripped Khrion tight as he lapped at the delectable shaft, while Khrion kept going at his tailhole and started to work his own red cock as it started to push out of his slit. Killian didn’t have quite the size that Khrion did, his tool was a touch shorter and considerably thinner, though it had a bit of a prehensility to it, at the very least he could twist and wrap it a bit around, say, a dragon’s tongue. Which had given them both quite the shock the first time it had happened.

Not so much now - when Killian felt Khrion wrap his mouth around the length, he responded immediately, twisting his tool around Khrion’s tongue and dancing with it a bit as he pushed his hips up into the larger dragon’s muzzle. The warmth and texture of that tongue was so heavenly, and he was able to get so close to it and get so much of it all over himself, he could barely keep himself from going off and ending it too quickly. Though Khrion helped there, too, he was proving to be quite good at pushing him to the edge of his limits and then receding, keeping him needy and desperate for what felt like the longest time before finally bringing him over...already he was starting to feel that, Khrion was working his tongue more slowly against him, teasing him by pushing him just a touch and then relaxing, letting the cresting pleasure retreat a bit.

Killian wasn’t quite as good at being a tease, but he was familiar with how to push Khrion’s buttons nice and hard. Opening wide, he brought his mouth around that large purple tool and clamped down around it, shoving it down his mouth and throat until his snout was pressed up against the larger dragon’s slit. He heard a strained growl from Khrion at the sudden onslaught, which only built further as Killian started working himself over the dragon’s cock, back and forth combined with a tantalizing tongue and throaty moans to send a buzz all through it. He’d taken Khrion a few times with his mouth back when he was a human, but it was MUCH easier as a dragon, and though he probably wasn’t quite as tight a fit in this body he was able to do so much more with it. Even Khrion’s knot wasn’t left out, his new mouth able to surround it effectively, allowing him to lap over that bulge and massage it a bit with his palate.

The rush was more than Khrion could handle, and he started working Killian a lot more intensely as well, almost like he was in a race to get the blue to blow faster than he was going to. Killian always seemed to know how to rev him up most effectively...well, that was one thing he loved about his mate, how well he knew how to push him to the pinnacle. His voice let out growls and purrs as he played with that squirming dick in his mouth, and pushed it all the way it so he could lick a bit into Killian’s slit for a bit of bonus pleasure. Of course, that only got Killian purring more and sending more pleasure his way…

The race ended in more or less a draw - at least, neither of them was entirely sure who let go first, in the haze of total pleasure that drew them in. All they knew was that moment of release, that exceptional bliss that came over them as they began to pump their essences into the other. With practiced motions, they each clamped down on the other, slowly pushing back and forth into each other’s groins as they milked each other of that tasty seed. Khrion was as productive as ever, but Killian’s new body was more than able to keep up with it, swallowing down that load rapidly and letting the freshest of its flavor bathe his tongue. Khrion had had to get used to a much more prolific partner - Killian may have been a smaller dragon than he, but he was still putting out quite a bit more seed than a human would have. It hadn’t taken long for him to get back into the groove with that, though, and he was still expertly teasing the newer dragon with his tongue as he consumed the delicious fluid.

It took a while for either one of them to finish; in this, at least, Killian was faster than Khrion, his orgasm fading as he still worked to swallow what Khrion gave. Finally, the elder dragon was spent, at least for that round, and he could pull off, panting a bit and slurping around his chops. “Why is it we mate so often and yet it feels like you’ve gone without for a month each time?”

“Because you get me that aroused, my love. All of that is my gift to you.”

Killian let out a snort. “Is that so. Feels like you could just feed me on that every day and I’d never go hungry.”

Khrion let out a mildly lecherous growl. “I wouldn’t be averse to trying that if you wanted.”

“Much as I love you, Khrion, I think my meals need a bit of variety.”

“That’s more than fair. Perhaps I should try some spells that change the taste? You might find that effective.”

“Is there anything dragons don’t have spells for?”

“If there is, there won’t be for long. Care for another?”

“You’d probably talk me into it even if I wasn’t.” Killian stuck out his tongue playfully at Khrion as the elder dragon clambered off of him, allowing him to roll himself onto his paws again. He kept his tail hiked, though, inviting his mate in an obvious display. “You know what we both want, so don’t keep me waiting.”

Khrion growled again, another very suggestive rumble as he pounced on top of Killian, his weight coming down on the smaller dragon as he half-pinned the blue in place. He wasn’t about to go full-throttle this time, though, and as his cock found purchase he restrained himself, sinking in only at a modest speed, holding Killian close to him and enjoying the feel of his mate’s body against his own.

Killian moaned loudly as he felt Khrion start to work himself in and out of his tailhole, a more sensual pace and mood rather than the wilder rutting he’d expected. Not that he minded at all; Khrion knew how to please him no matter what pace he went at. His limbs were going to be aching with all that weight on them, but it would be worth it in the end to feel that pinnacle once again.

It was here that things were the most different in their matings. Back when he was human, even when Khrion went slow, the dragon usually had to lock him in place when he mounted up, and only made sparse contact with him. As a dragon, though, no spells were needed - smaller though he was, he had strength enough to handle Khrion’s weight and force, and their bodies made extensive contact, rubbing against each other sensually. There was a great freedom in this, Killian found himself far more able to work himself against Khrion and toy with his mate to increase the pleasure they both felt. There may have been times where he missed being a human, but things like this just made that cost much more manageable.

And Khrion clearly favored it, too. While maybe he couldn’t easily pin Killian in place with a spell now, being able to feel so much of him while taking him more than made up for that. And there were other things he could do as well - for instance, what he was doing now, dipping his head down to lick and nip at the back of Killian’s neck, making the smaller dragon let out soft cries of pleasure as he was given yet another joyous sensation to add to the mix. As Killian arched into the ministrations, Khrion felt his tail snake around his own, twisting them tightly together as he was claimed.

Everything felt so RIGHT.

Over and over he rocked into Killian, working them both into a state of lust and desire that muted everything else. Their bodies grinding against each other, the thick purple shaft bucking into that tight rear, making the smaller red one jump and spurt onto the floor of the den, that knot kissing the blue’s tailhole harder and faster with every buck...nothing was as perfect as the moments that they shared together, the blessed feelings that were ignited in their hearts and bodies as they come closer and closer together. Both of them storming towards the end, relishing every second they had until they could relish the finale.

Finally, Khrion thrust in and pushed, refusing to relent until Killian’s tailhole ceded to his knot. It was easier for him to take now as a dragon, going in faster to that more optimally-designed passage for receiving dragon knots, but it felt no less wonderful, and brought a light roar out of Killian as he hit his peak, squirting his load onto the floor underneath him, raising the scent of dragon several notches in the den. His rear was getting even more of it, with Khrion’s own cock going off as well and unleashing a nice healthy torrent of thick dragon cum inside him. Killian’s heart skipped a beat as he felt Khrion clamp down onto his neck, not hard but firmly enough to be quite distinct, holding him in place as he was thoroughly filled. Maybe he wasn’t going to be puffing up with the load now, but it might have felt even better on his draconic innards than on his former human ones.

Khrion was mindful of Killian’s limits, and as he felt the blue’s limbs begin to buckle a bit, he rolled them over onto their leafy bed, keeping Killian as close as possible with their bodies pressed together. They nuzzled each other as they enjoyed their shared warmth, light purrs coming from each one as they reveled in the afterglow of their consummation. The two of them were quiet for a nice long time, tranquil and content, needing nothing more than that for the moment.

“Hey, Khrion…” Killian finally spoke. “When the world’s finally free for us again...where do you want to go first?”

“...Go?”

“Yeah. You’ve been stuck in a den for such a long time, having to hide yourself away. Have you ever wanted to go somewhere, see something interesting?”

Khrion thought for a moment. “I’m certain I’ve wanted to go other places, if only to see something unfamiliar. I don’t...really know of any specific places, though. After so long, nothing probably looks anything like I would remember anyway.”

“Mm...then I’m gonna have to find some good places for us to go, and good sights for us to see. I know there are a few places I’ve always wanted to visit...not sure you’d have as much interest in them, though.”

“I’m sure you could get me interested...why this all of a sudden?”

Killian purred a bit as he shifted into Khrion. “I guess I’ve just been thinking about the future. It’s weird, I don’t really have anything I have to do anymore...not being human kinda freed me up from a lot of that. So once we’re no longer limited to this den, we can kinda do whatever we want...and I guess I just...want to want to do a lot.”

“Hm. I suppose...that’s something I never really thought about. I guess I was kind of lost in a world where there wasn’t much I could do, so...it’s been hard to think of things to want to do.”

“Well, then let’s think of things together. I want to fill as much time as we can...keep doing things with you as long as we can go. You said we could go pretty much as long as we wanted if we didn’t get too sick or hurt, right? Then let’s keep thinking of new things to do, to keep that time enjoyable and interesting.”

“I guess we will be free to do that. I’m kind of stuck in a thousand-year rut, it might take me a bit to break out of that...but I’ll certainly try.”

Perhaps it was funny, how he only wanted all the time in the world once he could no longer have it. But it mattered more that he knew why he wanted it...not for the sake of having it, but for the someone he wanted to share it with. And maybe it didn’t really matter that there would come a time when they would have no more...so long as he shared so much of it with the one he loved, maybe it would feel like just the right amount of time to be forever.

Never is life brighter than when one has a light to guide them...I will be your light as long as I can be, Killian, and you mine. However long they shine, they will shine as bright as the sun and the stars.