Over the course of the week, Fia could hardly discern between the days. She trained, ate, and slept. A human mage, dressed in a long, brown robe, came to fix the broken tip of her tail.

Since Viliant knew the language here, he provided translation. The wordless meaning behind the words filled her head, almost as if she could understand the man as he spoke.

"Hello, little dragon," he said as he crouched by her. "Did you hurt your tail? I can make it like new."

Hey! she snapped at Viliant. Stop messing around.

I'm just translating.

Is he really baby-talking us like that?

Yep.

Fia stuck her nose up to the man and let out a deep grunt. Hmph. Do humans have no respect for dragons?

I mean, you are pretty small. Plus, your scales are pink….

I'm a healthy size for my age! Momma always told me my scales are beautiful. They're the same color as hers.

That explains a lot…. Viliant replied.

What's that supposed to mean? Fia rose onto her hind legs and snarled at Viliant. Her wings flared out to either side, and a soft thunk sounded in the direction of the human mage.

The man had fallen onto his rear. One arm stuck into the air so that he could shield himself from Fia's outburst. "Whoa there," he said, or whatever expression of surprise that they used in this language.

Viliant sneered and passed some words of apology along to the mage on her behalf. He turned to seat himself along the wall, saying, I'll stay out of the way.

As the mage refocused on her, his smiling eyes bore no grudge against the dragons. A green light flowed from his hands, allowing the energy to seep into her flesh. The lingering pain from the dislodged links of her tail dissipated.

Wow! Fia had only seen water dragons perform healing magic before, but they used an entirely different technique in this land.

"That should feel a lot better," the human said, according to Viliant's translation. To test her newly fixed tail, he squeezed it and swished it naturally from side to side.

It's perfect! Fia thought. Tell him thanks.

Viliant relayed the message in a monotone voice and translated the meaning for her. "She says thanks."

"You're welcome, little dragon. Now then. Let me have a look at those scales, Umbra Caligo." The mage moved over to tend to Viliant's body. The green glow cascaded over the surface of his scales and restored them to their full strength—a glossy black.

Before the mage took his leave, Fia bounded at his feet. She extended the wing with a hole in it, making it block the way of his shins. Her head tilted to the side as if she could ask him a question directly. To Viliant, she said, Ask him if he can heal my wing, please!

Do you think I'd have so many holes in my wings if he was able to heal them?

No, I guess not, she said foolishly.

Without needing Viliant to say anything, the mage crouched down and patted her head gently. The strange syllables were lined with a note of sorrow and disappointment. "Sorry, little girl. I don't know how to patch up your wing." The mage still gave her the courtesy of using some of his magic. The soothing spell made her wing feel good, although a bit tingly around the edges.

"It was nice to meet you, Favilla, and good to see you again, Umbra Caligo. If I don't see you two next week, I hope it's because you earned hardly a scratch in your next fight. Good luck!" The mage bid them farewell and locked the door after him. A series of heavy footsteps disappeared into the dungeon as the guards escorted him back.

Fia sighed heavily. It was worth a shot. Thanks for translating for me!

No problem.

With Viliant providing direct meaning to the words in her head, Fia suspected that she could learn the language here quickly. However, she lacked sufficient interaction with others to properly practice.

Aside from the visit from the human healer, nothing notable happened that week.

Two meals per day marked the passage of time. Fia ended up speaking little to Viliant. After all, they had no reason to associate with each other beyond what was necessary.

Some friends we are…! As a result of her training, she could reliably spit fire across the cell. A spinning ball of flames struck the cinder blocks. The wall resisted the fiery burst as it died away in a few flicks of light.

Viliant's disinterest in training persisted. If he did attempt to practice magic, he would sit in front of the metal bars, unmoving. Once nothing happened for hours, he grew frustrated and would bang his horns against the cell door. Clang, clang, clang.

If Fia had been trapped here for as long as him, she might want to bang her head against the wall too.

***

On the night before the second week's fight, Viliant breached the silence. Ready for tomorrow?

Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose. Fia heaved a massive sigh. In some ways, not knowing about the gladiator-style fights had made it easier last week. At the very least, she had been able to sleep on the first night, more or less.

Tonight, she lay awake with a twitching tail and tapping talons. Her body kept rolling this way and that. Her wings never seemed to find a place to rest comfortably. As if a fire raged in her mind, Fia tried to imagine every possible opponent that she might face tomorrow.

Relax, Viliant called to her. Get some sleep. Or at the very least, stop moving around so I can sleep!

Sorry, she thought in a shameful murmur. While she forced herself to stay still for Viliant's sake, Fia lay awake just the same. Her anxiety only heightened, knowing that she would not fight her best without a good night's rest.

Viliant had yet to retreat from their telepathy. Since he could sense her persisting restlessness, he asked, You know what I liked from your first fight?

Her heart skipped a beat. It was almost unimaginable that Viliant had come to admire anything about her. Really? What? Fia held her breath in all suspense.

You got lucky.

And there was the insult. Fia huffed and tried to ignore his negativity. Don't discourage me the night before the fight! I need to stay positive for my fire to burn bright!

I'm serious, Viliant said. Luck is something to honor in and of itself.

I guess, she said with a roll of her eyes. I would've been dead without it. Her first fight she had won by sheer luck. It begged the question, would she get lucky tomorrow? This was the precise reason why sleep could not find her.

Fiercely, Fia shook her head. She needed to keep these pessimistic thoughts out of her brain.

Your skill only determines your chance to win, Viliant said. Doesn't matter if you face the most vicious beast in the world. Get lucky, and you'll win anyway.

For a long while, Fia stewed in silence. I sure don't feel all that lucky. The fact that I'm here in the first place must mean I have some pretty rotten luck.

Don't we all? he replied. Just be the least unlucky bastard out of everyone.

The strange philosophies that sprang from his head confused her. That's funny, coming from you. You won your fight because you were strong….

No, I got lucky. Viliant's intense, green eyes bore into her from across their cell. I'm a metal dragon. The leo medusa was a poison beast. Do you know what that means?

No. Since she was unfamiliar with the foreign elements, Fia did not know how the type match-ups worked. She listened intently to his explanation like a similar lesson from her clan elders.

A stronger metal element is unaffected by poison, but the stronger poison element can corrode metal. We've established that I'm the most pathetic metal mage in existence. I can't even twist an iron bar! I don't think I should have survived the leo medusa's attack, yet here I am.

Fia lowered her head and thought about that for a long while. Maybe you're really strong and just don't know your true strength yet! You could be a late bloomer.

To herself, she wondered about the possibility of Viliant having another element entirely. He always spoke about elements that her elders never mentioned before. It was strange. Taking into account Viliant's appearance, Fia was partial to this explanation. He looked like an earth dragon with scales as black as the richest soil and eyes as green as verdant foliage.

Hm. Viliant had no more to say on the topic. Get lucky tomorrow. That's all I wanted to say to you.

Fia lifted her tail. Slowly, it curled into a big smile. Thanks, Viliant. Good luck to you too!