Chapter 18

Nick's body hurt. He had grown used to the normal aches and pains, especially given how long he had trained without the ability to heal. This pain was different. It felt as if a fire was burning him from the inside, trying it's hardest to destroy him. So intense was the pain, it pulled him from the safety of unconsciousness, and drove him back to the world.

"Have you finally rejoined the living?" A female voice, but Nick couldn't open his eyes to see the source.

"What's going on?" Nick's mind was still hazy, and he could tell his body was tied down. What's more, he couldn't seem to grasp any of his energy.

"Dagr?!" He realized he couldn't feel his link to his dragon either.

"He is outside, I didn't want him interfering with my care of you." He could hear movement to his side, and then felt a soft touch over his eyes. A moment later, his eyes opened.

For a second he was blinded, the room having a very bright light, but as his eyes regained their focus, he was able to make out the figure next to him. "Alana!"

She smiled gently back at him. "I'm glad you remembered me Nick. Though I didn't expect my next meeting with you to be in my infirmary." Her eyes sparkled. "Though I did have to deal with two other patients, curtesy of you."

Images of a broken and battered Trent and Marcus flashed across Nick's mind. "I went a little overboard I suppose." He was only half sorry, especially given what Keith had told him earlier.

"Well, at least it seems you are getting closer to your goal of becoming a DRED Knight. Keith told me you ranked first, before leaving." Excitement filled Nick, and he tried to sit up. However, his body was indeed held down.

"Ah, I've restrained you for now." Alana motioned at his body, and Nick could see glowing tethers all across his form.

"What are those?"

"Magic." She moved her hand and they started to fade. "I used those to keep you from thrashing about."

Once the bindings faded, Nick was able to sit up, though his body continued to throb with pain. He tried again to grab his physical powers, to heal himself. Again, he found nothing.

"Oh, you can't use your powers right now either." Nick started to open his mouth. "And yes, I can read your mind."

Nick starred at her, his mind racing. Before he could speak, Alana started laughing.

"You have so much still to learn." As she walked across the room to a holoscreen, Nick realized she was clothed completely differently from any of the other classes. Her jumpsuit was silver, and she had four splashes of color on each arm, each the color of each individual class.

"You are correct, I do not belong to just one class." Nick hated mind reading. "I am like you, I have an affinity for all the different powers." She motioned and the holoscreen faded as she turned back to Nick. "If you could slow your questions for now, we can get your treatment taken care of." Nick really hated mind reading.

"That's better." She motioned to her side, as if something were there. "Fenrir is going to release the seal on your energy in a moment. When that happens, please ensure you put up your own walls. Unstable energy is rather dangerous, as I'm sure you know." She smiled at the last part, and Nick was certain she knew what had happened in his last fight.

"Alright." He closed his eyes, preparing his wall to keep his volatile energy at bay. At first, he couldn't sense any energy, but after a moment, it seemed as if the barrier was removed, and all four rushed into him. He was ready, and without hesitation he slammed his wall before the other three, leaving just his physical energy flowing through his body. The physical fire rushed through him, healing all of his wounds, and once it had finished, he let it go as well.

"Glad to see you have mustered some control. I'm sure Dagr has helped with that." He opened his eyes, ready to respond to Alana, but suddenly found himself unable to speak. At her side, a massive wolf sat, dark flames seeming to burn over him where his fur should have been. His eyes starred darkly at Nick, burning red.

"Oh stop it Fen." Alana looked down at the wolf, laughing as she spoke. The beast looked at her, his muzzle shifting into a smile, and he tilted his head towards her. She reached down and started petting his head absentmindedly. "Don't mind Fenrir, he enjoys messing with humans who can see him."

"Fenrir..." The wolf put him on edge, but also reminded him that he hadn't been able to make contact with Dagr.

"Ah, I suppose it is safe to allow him back in." Alana pointed towards a wall, and a shifting portal appeared. From it, Dagr came flying out.

Nick! The dragon's voice was filled with excitement.

"Dagr!" He had missed his friend. "What happened to you?"

They locked me in a different dimension. The dragon glared down at Fenrir, who merely yawned.

"I needed to be able to seal your energy, and with Dagr around, that just wasn't an option." Alana spoke as if it was a simple thing to do. Nick wondered just how powerful she was. She smiled at him, mischievously. Nick was really, really getting tired of mind reading.

"I can answer a few of your questions if you'd like Nick" She indicated for Nick to get comfortable, and suddenly a seat was hovering through the air to her. She casually stopped it and placed it, before she sat down. The whole time, she continued to pet Fenrir.

"So tell me, what would you like to know?"

Nick opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, Alana's face took on a startled expression. At the same time, Fenrir's flames grew, and the wolf began to growl.

"Alana?" He wasn't certain what was going on, but could tell something was happening to her. However, she didn't seem to hear him, and it was only after a moment of silence that she seemed to refocus on Nick.

"Sorry Nick, it seems our time here has run out." She stood and turned towards the door. "You must hurry and follow me." Alana started walking briskly out of the room, Fenrir trotting easily beside her. As Nick started to follow, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. Where exactly was she taking him, and what was going on?