Author’s notes: Okay so this is something that I am not quite satisfied with at the moment but it’s the best I have right now. Let me know what you guys think about it. Seriously, let me know. I may have made some story errors in here because I started with a different approach and there may be parts I didn’t fully delete and replace. if something doesnt make sense, ask about it. Well, that’s it. Enjoy.

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As she traveled deeper into Roland’s mind, the area in which she could see got smaller and smaller.

It was very dark now, and she floated in her illusionary body. The feeling here was ancient and archaic, yet she felt no fear.

Strangely, she even felt safe.

Though she herself didn’t know, it was because here, in his mind, his presence was literally everywhere.

Even though the time she knew him was not even a week long, and so feeling such trust and security towards him were simply outrageous, there were times when she felt as if she knew him her entire life.

Her sister would absolutely think that Reina had been brainwashed or something.

In some corner of her mind she knew that the reason for this probably only stemmed from the compatibility they had with each other, and that Roland most likely didn’t feel the same.

However, for some reason this thought made her uneasy in her heart and so she chose not to dwell on it.

Instead, she focused on the task at hand.

Roland’s mind was truly deep and unfathomable. As she floated within his mind, various bits of long-forgotten knowledge and secrets fluttered by.

It was hard to describe the concept of “knowledge” that flew by as knowledge was not a physical thing, but to her they appeared as shining script, written in languages that were either eons dead or not capable of being understood by mere mortals. Most likely only higher-begins could decipher the content, thought Reina.

But that was not true. Many higher-beings would definitely not be able to comprehend even a small portion of what lied in Roland’s mind, not to mention deciphering them. In fact, if it were anyone else, this knowledge would not even appear in front of them. To them, his mind would forever stay unknowable. Only towards Reina, who had such a high compatibility with Roland, would they appear.

Perhaps someday she would even understand what they mean.

Reina, despite feeling a tad foolish, tried visualizing a wave spreading out from her, a wave of energy that sought whatever seemed to call to her.

After a few moment, it worked. She felt something to her left, a faint and fiery aura that seemed like a candlelight in the distance of deep shadows.

Her body seemed to move in its direction by itself, called forth by some unknowable force.

As she moved closer the light intensified and waves of soft heat enveloped her.

She could faintly here music, dark and haunting which combined with the flame in the distance gave the image of a solar eclipse.

As she approached, the music became louder, more clear.

Finally, she came upon a golden flame. Its light was blinding, yet also gentle and exuding a sense of divinity.

Beautiful, she thought.

“This flame, it seems to like you, girl . . .” suddenly a voice resounded in Reina’s head, ancient, and regal. It wasn’t Roland’s.

Reina grew scared. It wasn’t the voice, but the sudden feeling of pressure that descended along with it.

Like the gravity increased by ten-fold.

“W-Who’s there?” Her voice was a whisper. She looked around frantically, but found nothing.

“Silly girl, you cannot find me unless I allow it. Would you like to? I have no qualms about showing my true form.”

“Oh!” Reina exclaimed, wide-eyed. “You’re that azure dragon I saw earlier!”

And so it was. The dragon appeared suddenly, his body massive and seeming to fill the entire space. The light from the golden flames behind her illuminating his scales magnificently.

The dragon cocked his head to the side, peering at her with his gem-like eyes. It was a very human-like gesture and looked almost comical on him.

“Oh? You could see into our past memories? I don’t think I have ever met someone with that ability.”

“Our?” she wondered aloud.

“Hm, indeed. Well, “our” is a bit too much. I was not one of Roland’s previous incarnation. i met him many eons ago, in another life. When I was younger and little more than a giant lizard, too weak to even stand.” The dragon had a far way look in his eye, as if remembering days long past.

“Eh?” incarnations? Past memories?

“Oh? I assumed you knew, girl. Roland has held many lives.”

“I-I didn’t know! Okay, well, I had my suspicions, but . . .” of course, she witnessed the memories herself, but to have her thoughts confirmed . . .

“Hm, well, no matter. He sent you to find a few skills here, did he not?”

“How did you . . .?”

Reina was confused. She never mentioned what she was here for, did she?

“Ah, I have access to Roland’s memories. Well, these ones at least. I was sleeping through many of his past lives, so I don’t know much about those, but I can look at any of his past experiences from his current life. I merely peeked into them as we were talking. Honestly, I only woke up when I sensed another consciousness inside him, and I found you here.”

“I see. . .” she muttered.

“Anyway, you should take that fire with you. It’s something pretty good and looks like it resonates with you.” The dragon said.

“Nn, I thought so too but. . .” how could she simply take it? She didn’t even know what it was. It might even be dangerous. Though, if it was, would Roland have let her come here? Maybe it really was okay to just take it?

As if sensing her thoughts, the dragon spoke. “Don’t worry, girl. That is a divine flame, a portion of the power once owned by the Golden Divine Bird. She won’t miss it, trust me. Though right now that is the only thing here that you can currently take with you. It seems that this time around no other skill will present itself.”

“I don’t know . . . how did it even get here?” that bird sounded pretty amazing, how could something like that end up within the depths of Roland’s mind?

“Girl, you are currently in Roland’s Treasury, a space existing within a small opening in his spiritual world. There are many priceless artifacts here. To be clear, you were in his mind earlier, but that flame drew you here. Most likely it opened itself because you carry a bit of Roland’s essence on you. And so as for how it got here, it was something that the Divine Bird gifted him. I think that he once had a dalliance with her human form.”

“Ah, no wonder I felt so uneasy when I got here. I never felt like this when I was in his mind”

Wait. . . “Dalliance”?

She felt her cheeks redden slightly

“Well, in any case, go ahead and take it with you. It is a pretty good thing, if you ask me. Though it doesn’t have my flame’s destructive power. But, being a divine flame, it has many mysterious properties and will grant many benefits once you fuse with it properly.”

“. . . I see. Thank you. I will be taking it then.” She said cheerfully.

A Divine flame! How could she not be happy?

She floated towards the golden flame, holding it carefully in her hand. It felt warm, gentle.

The flame seemed to merge with her incorporeal body. Soon, it could no longer be seen.

The only light in the dark space now was the slight glow from the azure dragon’s scale.

“And what about you?” she asked

The dragon looked confused

“What do you mean?”

“Well, how did you end up here? Actually, what are you to Roland anyway? I don’t even understand how a dragon can wind up in a place like this.” She said to him.

“I suppose you could say that I chose to be here.”

“Oh? And by that you mean . . .?”

Again the dragon let out that strange “Fumu” laugh of his.

“It has been quite a while since I met someone who could have a calm conversation with me. Most just start screaming as soon as they see me.” He said, sounding amused. He beat his wings softly, the action seeming like a dragon version of a shrug. ”Well, I simply mean that when it was time for him to depart for his next life, I was pretty stubborn and bound our souls together” He sounded indifferent

Yet suddenly, he hung his head down, sadness emanating from his entire being. “I . . . I didn’t want to leave him. To have him forget me, after all the times we shared. We were family, brothers. The only ones who looked out for each other, always, no matter what life threw in our way.

But it didn’t matter in the end. I searched everywhere for a way to restore his memories, but to no avail. For a time, I simply built new memories with him. However, every time he reincarnated, the memories were lost. After a few reincarnation, I grew weary of it all and merely slept inside his soul space. Not just me, but others have lived through that as well. I remember that in one life Roland had a sister, Grace.

They were not of the same blood, but he had always thought of her as a dear sister, an irreplaceable existence. When it was discovered her body held the spirit of a goddess reigning over ruin and disaster, her blood family turned on her. Roland protected them with his own power, and when they left for the Higher Planes, they were happy . . . For a time. But when he disappeared due to his next incarnation cycle coming, she broke. She was such a pure girl at first, but his disappearance changed her. Made her ruthless, cruel. She searches for him, even now. Because he was her everything, just as he was mine. And there were many others after her”

As he told the story, the dragon’s voice bespoke its anguish.

Reina remembered the little girl that she saw earlier in that one memory. Was that Grace?

she felt a twist in her heart.

How awful must it be to care for someone like that and yet know that they will only forget all the times you spent together? Not just that, but having the entire process repeat itself over and over again, remaining helpless against it?

Would that happen to her someday too?