Danger

The world around the mountain top twisted and the Ethereal changed. One moment it was empty, and in the next the dragon stood there once again. Just returned from taking Ryun and Nayra away to meet with the Grand Spirit of War. Something about the way the dragon moved them through the Ethereal nagged at Naha. It was a strange sensation, and she had noticed it both times when he transported her before. What intrigued Naha the most was that she felt no willpower from the dragon when it happened, nor did she feel him activate any type of a perk.

She studied the Explorer for a long minute, trying to think of how he could’ve done it. The dragon noticed, and turned his head to look at her.

“You wish to ask something?”

Naha grimaced, she didn’t intend to intrude. She generally preferred to stay in the shadows, observe unseen. Now the Explorer’s full attention was on her. For a moment she debated just sinking into the shadows, but then decided against it. Asking couldn’t hurt anything.

“How did you do that?” She asked him.

The dragon tilted his head. “How did I do what?”

“Take us from here to there and back again, I didn’t feel you use any type of power, definitely no willpower. How did you teleport us?”

The dragon’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he answered. “You are correct, I used no power. I simply asked.”

That made Naha frown in confusion. "Asked? You asked the Ethereal to transport us?"

The dragon nodded, his grin broadening. “Indeed. The Ethereal is the Realm of thought and change. It is a reflection of the Real Realm, a broken mirror in many ways, but the Ethereal is more than just a plane of existence; it is a living, conscious entity. Not truly alive in the same way as you and I are, but it can think in a way. When you learn to communicate with it and treat it with respect, it can grant you favors such as the one you experienced.”

Naha pondered this for a moment, her curiosity piqued. “And how does one learn to communicate with the Ethereal?”

The dragon settled down, tucking his wings and tail around him, looking like a wise old sage. “It takes time and patience. One must first learn to quiet their mind and listen. The Ethereal speaks in whispers, and it is easy to miss its voice amidst the chaos of our own thoughts.”

That made Naha quiet down for a few minutes. And then, after a while she spoke up again.

“Can anyone just learn how to do this?” She asked.

The dragon leaned his head down to look at her closely. “Anyone can listen and perhaps speak with the Ethereal. But to do what I can do? To ask the Ethereal to move around them? Sadly, no,” he said with a grave voice. “Not even the Grand Spirits are allowed this privilege. Often times, even I am surprised at it.”

“Why are you able to do it then?” Naha asked.

The dragon turned his head away. “I am unsure myself, the Ethereal doesn’t provide me with an answer to that question. I had laid asleep in this realm for countless lifetimes, dreaming of a life in the Real Realm that I can barely remember. Perhaps that is what has made me so close to it. Though, if you asked the spirits, they would give you a different answer.”

“What answer is that?”

The dragon turned around and met Naha’s eyes. “I have heard the spirits say that the Ethereal Realm loves me, and perhaps it does. I certainly love it, an infinite scape filled with wonders to explore. The Ethereal is my everything.”

Naha heard the deep emotion in the dragon’s voice and didn’t speak again.

After a while, the dragon spoke. “Have you decided where you wish to go?”

Naha raised her head and opened her mouth to speak when she felt something in the back of her head. I took her only a moment to recognize Zach’s True Link perk. Immediately, she stood up and activated her True Link. The awareness that they had of each other was muted and strangely seemed like it was shifting rapidly, but she felt his emotions.

“What is wrong?” The dragon asked.

“It’s Zach,” Naha said. “Something had to have gone wrong, he used one of our perks—” she trailed off as she suddenly felt a shift in his emotions, then the link getting cut off. “He’s in danger,” she turned to the dragon. “Take me back, we need to help him.”

The course of his emotions flashed inside of her mind, painting a picture. It had been hard to feel, something was wrong, not the distance their bond was sufficient for it to no longer matter. Time difference perhaps? She didn’t have the time to wonder. She shouldn’t have left him there, in a place filled with spirits and the unknown.

The dragon frowned. “Are you certain?”

Naha nodded, stepping up to the dragon and equipping her armor and weapons, ready for a fight. “Yes. He felt betrayed, the spirits had to have turned on him. Quick, we can’t waste time,” she said,

The dragon hesitated, his expression a mix of concern and reluctance. “That… the Grand Spirit of Knowledge wouldn’t have broken his hospitality. And Zacharia is strong enough to give even Knowledge pause.”

“What you think doesn’t matter, only the truth,” Naha told him. “Take me, now,” she said slowly, trying to contain her anger. She could feel her entire being focused on one task, protecting her loved one.

The dragon shifted, almost as if he was uncomfortable. His will trembled around him like a physical thing, Naha didn’t know if she could match him, but she would force him if she had to.

“As much as I want to help, I must be cautious. My relationship with the nine Grand Spirits is delicate. If I interfere too much, it could disrupt the balance between us.”

Naha's eyes flashed with anger and frustration. “Zach is in danger, and you're worried about your relationship with the Grand Spirits? They turned on him, and every moment you delay his life is further in danger. We do not know how fast time moves there.”

The dragon sighed heavily, his gaze filled with a mixture of sadness and understanding. “I am truly sorry, but I cannot risk the balance. I have no way of knowing what happened, for all I know, Zacharia has done something that warranted such a response.”

Naha gritted her teeth, realizing that the dragon was not their friend, only an ally of convenience. Of course, he wasn’t, they barely knew him. He offered knowledge freely, but that was not the same as being an ally. She saw it now, he cared only for exploration and stopping the yeti. In his mind, the Grand Spirits were greater allies than Zach was.

“We came to you for help with an enemy we both share,” Naha said slowly. “Do you care nothing for that at least?”

“I can go and speak with Knowledge, there has to be a valid explanation for this.”

Naha shook her head. “And warn them that we are aware? They couldn’t have known that Zach could be in contact with me. Whatever they had done, they did believing that they will not be discovered. I will not let you tip our hand. Perhaps I am wrong, and there is a good explanation, but I will not simply walk there and ask. I will make sure that he is safe myself.”

“I…” the Explorer started, now sounding unsure. “Even if I wanted to help, I cannot interfere with Knowledge, not there. I physically cannot enter the domains of the Grand Spirits without being invited. It is a binding oath I made with them in order to preserve the balance between us, to break it would bring consequences.”

Naha glared, barely being able to veil her true thoughts. “Can you at least bring back Ryun and Nayra? Ereclaw?”

The dragon closed his eyes and tilted his head. “The two have already crossed into War’s domain, I cannot reach them there. As to Ereclaw—” the Ethereal twisted, and a moment later a humanoid wolf stood next to them.

Naha didn’t waste a moment, immediately filling the wolf in, then rounded on the dragon.

“If you will not help us, then at least take us there.”

The dragon gave her a long look. “I don’t know why Knowledge would do anything like this,” he said, his tone more believing now. She didn’t know if he was coming around to trusting Naha, or if he was just considering it as a hypothetical. “If Knowledge has done something, it must be for a reason.”

“I don’t care about a spirit’s reason,” Naha added.

The dragon’s nostrils flared. “Zach’s arm was crafted by Ra’azel, that is the only thing that Knowledge might be interested in. Or… no,” he shook his head. “I will do one thing, just in case.”

Naha tilted her head. “What?”

He closed his eyes, and for a moment Naha could feel a grand weight all around her, which vanished as quickly as it appeared. “It doesn’t matter, it might not be necessary at all. What is your plan?”

Naha turned to look at Ereclaw and spoke. “Do the spirits there know you?”

Ereclaw shook his head. “I have seen the Grand Spirit of Knowledge, but he did not pay me much attention. I was beneath its notice.”

“From our point of view, the time Ereclaw was my visitor was ages ago. And it was for barely a moment,” the dragon added.

Naha nodded. “Then this is what we are going to do.”

She told them her plan and hoped that they weren’t too late.