The sky darkened as the dragon filled it in all his majesty. If the real-world version of the creature was large, this one was ten times so. Dallion was no longer looking at a dragon, but a flying fortress of flesh and scales. Wings the size of mountains flapped, creating a strong gust of wind that pushed Dallion back.

Was that a good idea, dear boy? There was a note of alarm and urgency in Nil’s voice.

“That’s the only way out, Nil.” Dallion replied. However, right at this moment, he wholeheartedly agreed with the echo.

A single tooth of the dragon was larger than the house Dallion had in Nerosal. Even if the dragon didn’t use any of its powers, it could easily flatten him along with half the realm. Adding the fact it could probably use magic, gave the impression this was going to be a short fight. Even if Dallion managed to hit the monstrosity with a dozen line and point attacks, it wasn’t going to amount to much.

Dad? The dragonlet asked, confused.

This was likely the first time the old dragon had been challenged within his domain. Or at the very least, the first time he had accepted. That made him visibly confused. Anger and uncertainty lit up within its titanic body.

It would take a lot more than what you currently have to defeat that, Nil said. Even the Academy would have a hard time. And that’s not the worst of it. The dragon can eject you from its realm at will, at which point you’ll end up being crushed.

Thanks for reminding me, Nil, Dallion grumbled. That’s why I have no intention of fighting him. Lux, boost me to Dark’s back, Dallion ordered.

Instantly, he flashed, moving from his current position to where the dragonlet was. Due to the unusual event that had occurred neither Dark nor his father had done any combat splitting. Grasping the opportunity, Dallion landed on the creature’s neck, right above the wings.

Lux, envelop both of us then get us away from the dragon.

You sure? The firebird asked.

Do it! You should be strong enough to manage!

It was the first time that the firebird had wrapped two different entities at once, but that didn’t stop him from going on with it. A thin layer of blue flames surrounded Dallion and the dragonlet.

Unfamiliar with the sensation—as well as having someone on his back—the dragonlet attempted to break free. Unfortunately, it succeeded as much as a swimmer trying to escape the water in which they were swimming. No matter how violently the Dark flapped his wings, the layer of flames remained, attached firmly like a layer of gel.

Confusion quickly switched to fear. Not knowing what to do, the dragonlet attempted to split into instances, but Dallion tapped it on the back of the head the moment it did, causing all instances to fade away.

“Sorry, Dark,” Dallion whispered. “You’ll have to put up with this for a bit.”

The firebird thrust both Dallion and the dragonlet in the opposite direction of the large dragon. By now, the massive creature had realized what was going on.

A hundred instances appeared, l filling three quarters of the entire sky. Many of them breathed tornadoes of destruction in Dallion’s direction. Barely a moment later, though, all of them faded away.

I knew it. Dallion smiled to himself. You won’t hurt your offspring, will you?

At this point, it’s useless to say that you’re taking a tremendous risk, Nil said.

All part of being a hunter, Dallion replied.

There was a time, not too long ago, that he would get petrified at the prospect of getting into a real-world fight, or even when there was a risk of him getting his powers sealed. Just one year of hunting in the wilderness had made him fully aware of how dangerous the world was, and the utter uselessness of petrifying fear.

What are you doing?! Dark asked. Dad will kill you!

“He’ll definitely try,” Dallion replied. “He’ll have to be careful with you being so close.”

It doesn’t matter! No one can beat him. Hundreds have tried. Just let me go and I’ll try to convince him to leave you alone. Maybe even let you go.

“There’s no way he’ll listen. And besides, I didn’t come here to escape. I came here to free you.”

Huh? What are you talking about?

The dragon flapped his wings with such ferocity that the air boomed, as if shattering to pieces. Dallion felt as he and his “mount” were pushed forward. The dragonlet took the opportunity to split again, but quickly received another tap on the head.

Stop that!

“You should know better than that,” Dallion said, looking over his shoulder. “I’m not letting you split.” And thanks to Lux, he wasn’t letting him fly either. However, there were more than a few other dangers to look out for.

Sharp peaked mountains shot up from the ground like giant spikes. They didn’t target Dallion directly, attempting to trap him into a windy canyon. Lux handled the situation well for the moment, thrusting in various directions, seemingly at random, or going straight up. Unfortunately, even that decreased the distance between him and the dragon. If things continued in that fashion, Dallion would end up being caught in a matter of minutes.

I hope you’re looking out for me, Felygn, Dallion thought.

Concentrating, he summoned his Vermillion ring, then focused on leaving the realm.

A bubble of cyan sparks slowly formed, surrounding him and the dragonlet. Originally, the Vermillion ring wasn’t supposed to be used in such fashion. It was one of the rare artifacts that had the ability to transport items, or even people, from one realm to another. That made it sought after by criminal organizations, nobles, and the Order of the Seven Moons alike. In this case, Dallion was planning to have it get him out into the real world.

It would have been far simpler to just bring the dragonlet into his own awakening realm, however, that wasn’t going to help him too much. There was every chance that the dragon would follow, and an invasion of such nature wasn’t going to be dealt with easily.

“Please work,” Dallion whispered.

The sparks kept on increasing until a solid sphere surrounded Dallion. Then, without warning, he was back in the real world. For a single moment, time seemed to freeze. Dallion found himself beneath the massive dragon tail that was about to slam onto him. Thankfully, that never came to pass. The speed obtained in the dragon’s realm safely propelled him to the side out of harm’s way. Although, even if it hadn’t, Dallion suspected that the Dragon wouldn’t finish what it started. The reason was that in addition to Dallion, a dragonlet had entered the real world as well.

Dark’s real form was very similar to what it had been within the realm, although smaller and far longer. In terms of comparison, he was roughly the size of a horse and half, tails and wings excluded. For several seconds, the dragonlet kept on flying, moving further away from the three towers and the dragon nest they held. Astonishment and awe emanated from Dark’s entire body, as he found himself in a world beyond his imagination.

Where is this? he asked, not even noticing that the firebird that controlled his actions had vanished.

“Welcome to the real world.” Dallion patted him on the back of the head. “The realm of all realms.”

That’s a bit forced, don’t you think? Nil asked.

Let the kid have his moment, Dallion said. It’s the first time he’s seen it.

Very well. What about his father? I doubt that he’ll just let you get away with it.

I don’t think he has a choice.

Splitting into three instances, Dallion looked at the dragon. He could feel the creature’s rage even from this distance. However, despite that, the dragon hadn’t gone to the skies. It would have been easy for him to do so, but if he did, then the remaining six dragonlets might learn the truth. They, too, existed in the real world. Also, and that was the key part, part of the dragon was happy at what Dallion had done. As any parent fighting for their survival and that of their offspring, it was normal to be extremely protective. At the same time, he also wanted his dragonlets to grow strong enough to survive on their own. That was why he had spent millennia training them, or using any hunters who ventured in his domain to train them for him.

“I’ll take good care of him,” Dallion whispered.

To his surprise, the anger emanating from the dragon instantly faded, replaced by gratitude.

That was quick, Dallion thought. Before he could do anything else, everything suddenly froze. It was as if Dallion had received the benefit from using guard skills. The only issue was that someone else had done it for him.

“You kept your promise,” a voice echoed throughout the air. Looking up, Dallion could see that the Green Moon was in the sky, shining as bright as the sun. “Your debt is paid in full. That means you can ask for another favor. Will you?”

The temptation was tremendous. Was it the right time, though?

“I take it the dragon won’t hunt me down?” Dallion asked, just to be on the same side.

“Why should he? He was the one that made the request.”

Dallion blinked. He had been convinced that Dark had.

“You seem surprised? As you said, parents would do a lot for their children. Often, the things they do will be conflicting.”

Reading my thoughts again..

“You’ll have to get used to that. We read everyone’s thoughts.”

“I want a way to keep the dragonlet safe,” Dallion said. “There’s a lot I need to teach him about this world. Mostly how to survive while being part of it.”

“You want for it to be able to enter and leave your realm? How is that different from the situation before?”

“I’ve no problem with him flying about the wilderness. It’s the Academy I’m worried about. And not only them. I can’t return to Nerosal on a dragon.”

“I’m aware. There are better realms than yours.” A circle of light surrounded the Moon like a ring. “Mine, for example. This one follows my path, same as you. He can explore the wilderness with my protection. And when you’re no longer dealing with your other things, he’ll join you.”

While that sounded nice, Dallion knew that things didn’t work that way in the world. He had snatched the creature from its home, as he had done with many of the creatures he’d hunted. That was part of his job, but it also meant that Dark didn’t owe him anything. As far as the dragonlet was concerned, it was more than probable that he’d even hate him. That was part of the price. Dallion was fully aware, just as he was aware that he needed to finish the dragon’s training.

“You have more important things to worry about than this,” the Moon almost sounded annoyed.

Dallion nodded. “So, what happens now?”

“You continue with your life, just as before.”

“Don’t I get any questions answered?”

“You think that because you kept your promise, you’re entitled to a reward? I kept you from being rushed by the dragon’s tail. Does that count? Or you want something more?”

Dallion clenched his fists. In truth, he did feel that he was owed some answers about the south’s past, about Star, maybe even a few answers relating to the Eight Moon. Yet, he knew he wasn’t going to get them.”

“No,” he said as calmly as he could muster. “There’s nothing more I want for now.. other than your favor.”

“Once cast away, that’s difficult to regain. I’ll be watching you, though. Who knows? Maybe you’ll do something that merits it. Until then, travel safely. The brighter you become, the more people will want to bring you down.”