“Well, I can’t just fly through them all!”

  Dee tried his best to whisper. Having moved all the way back to the other side of the warehouse, the dragon was looking straight at the line of cops standing on the edge of the opening. A few had their flashlights turned on, but none of them reached all the way to their position. Arthur was guessing that all they could see were a pair of massive eyes shining in the dark. That too, right after one of them would claim that he had seen a living, breathing dragon.

  Soon, the military would start rolling in, too. There was no stopping that.

  “Alright, everyone, let’s count down the abilities. I can’t do anything because my cooldown is still at fifteen minutes, alright?” Elle spoke up, “Vil can’t do anything because…never mind. Arthur, you can’t do anything because you can only reverse one thing. Who the fuck thought that was a good skill? And Celia…god, what about Celia!?”

  “Why am I the issue here? The cops are the ones standing and covering the exit.”

  “Dee, by all means, I think you should burst through the only opening we see, and worry about the minuscule ant peasants later. They will only be hurt, but what is a warrior without a couple of wounds, right?”

  “Yeah, I’m not hurting anyone. Thank you for the suggestion.”

  Arthur chimed in too, “No, but we could try and squeeze through, right? If you spread your wings really wide. Like, fully open, you might be able to make it through the bit of space above them. The warehouse door is actually quite big.”

  “Yeah, but my claws would still hurt them. Now, my body throws them down, and it’s a few broken bones. But my claws hurt them? I’m sorry, but that means death, Arthur.”

  “Celia, you. Oh god, I am so sorry.” Elle cried, “Celia, it is time to say goodbye, alright? Now, look at Arthur, say your bye-bye and get out, ok? Tell them a big dragon monster attacked you, and then you kinda made it out. A little bit of questioning, and you’ll be out. The kids are the witnesses, right? You got that?’

  “No, but that still doesn’t solve the problem of you all needing to get out of the warehouse?” She asked.

  “Well, we’ll portal. That’s why said say goodbye, right? I mean, Dee’s right. The cops are, like, the good guys. They didn’t hurt us, so why should we hurt them? We don’t hurt people, right?”

  Elle looked back at Vil in hopes of getting a positive response. The knight didn’t say anything, though. Instead, he just looked at Lana, who was propped up right beside his lap. As soon as Elle looked at her, a new line of blood began to flow down her temple. Vil looked at her and immediately grabbed Arthur’s shirt to bring it up and wipe the blood clean.

  “Well…” Elle sighed, “Not a lot of people, right? She, like, tried to kill us?”

  Arthur could not believe what was going on. Even ignoring the knight who had taken part of his shirt hostage, there was a lot more giving him a headache. The cops were converging on the edge of the warehouse every minute, and Celia’s heartbeat was increasing at an even faster rate. Since there wasn’t a lot of space on top of the dragon for everyone to ride together, it became even more obvious because she was sitting right next to him.

  “Elle, Dee, I am serious. We need to do something immediately, or else they will start shooting. Trust me. There’s nothing we hate more than big monsters who appear out of nowhere and cause destruction. We’ve made a hundred films about this exact scenario.”

  “Yeah? Really? Where do you think I’m from? Mars? You think I haven’t seen Godz-”

  “Shut up!”

  Dee’s whisper turned into a roar. A massive bellow echoed through the empty warehouse along with his words, sending tremors that made the cops on the edge panic. A bunch of them pulled out their weapons and aimed them at the dragon. That made Dee panic even more as he stepped backwards and started to purr like an actual animal. The growls, sending vibrations throughout his scales.

  “I cannot portal out of here, Elle.” He explained, back to his whispering, “It requires both health and stamina, and I’m running out of those. We need to escape somehow so that I can rest up to get them back. We’re out of stat reset potions, too, right?”

  “Yeah, I used it up on Arthur. But, wait, seriously? You need health and stamina to use a skill?”

  “No, I don’t. I am making it up.” Dee replied. “Are you kidding me? Are you serious? Do you want me to throw you off?”

  “No, do not throw us off, Dee. It is alright. He is lost and confused, unlike me. I understand your predicament very well. Helping us live has cost you your abilities, and I apologize. For now, we need to clear a way, and we shall do that for you.”

  “Thank you, Vil. Now, how do you plan on doing that?”

  Arthur sighed and looked at Celia. She was smiling. Right now. At this very moment, and in this situation. She was smiling. She looked at Arthur and raised her eyebrows.

  “What?” He mouthed.

  She leaned into his ear and whispered, “If I had any doubt that these three are versions of you, that’s very much cleared at this point.”

  As she moved away, Arthur frowned, looked at them, and then back at her, “Yeah, right. Very nice of you.”

  Celia chuckled and bent down, patting Dee on the back. Then, she spoke up, louder than before, “Dee, just fly. I’ll handle the rest. You won’t hit any of them, alright? Just…if possible, then make sure you’re not very loud?”

  “I can do that, yes. But are you sure you can get them all out?”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Oh, very sure. If there’s one thing a man in a uniform believes in, it is a damsel in distress.” She sighed, “What can I say, teaching English taught me a lot.”

  He saw his health and stamina go up the moment she said that. Something about her never failed to soothe him. Dee took a long breath, shaking all of them with it, and started flapping his wings. Slowly, at first as he built up the momentum, and then increasing in speed as they began to hover up from the ground. The dust below them started to swirl, and the cops screamed. One shot, but missed the dragon completely, which meant it was probably a misfire due to panic.

  The dragon got up into the air and started to make its way to the opening. The cops reacted differently. Some moved backwards, while others stayed put and tried to be heroes. Celia took a deep breath and leaned down from the side of the beast. Then, putting all of her stamina into a single shout, screamed from the top of her lungs.

  “Get away! It will kill everyone who comes near it. And, uh, HELP!”

  Somehow, that worked. It caused every single cop in the area to move back and fall on their butts as they got out of the way of the dragon. Dee chuckled, but it probably only sounded like more proof of its evil nature to them. Squeezing through the entrance, it flew out and up into the sky. Before the bullets could reach him, he immediately decided to head for the edge of the city.

  “That…worked. Incredible work, my love. It is expected that you were the one to pull it off!”

  Celia coughed and shook her head to clear her throat. Arthur instinctively reached for his sling bag, where he would usually keep his water bottle, but it wasn’t there. He wasn’t even sure when he had lost it. Was it on Knuckleduster Joe? Or during the school escape? Or the fight with Lana? Or the many, many things that had happened after that? Whatever it was, it wasn’t there anymore. All he could do was look at her and give her a quick pat on the back for her help.

  “Well, where now, though? Where should I land?”

  Dee had asked a good question, but Arthur wasn’t sure. Nothing immediately came to mind. Especially not a place where the cops would not check. In fact, they probably had cameras and helicopters on them right at this moment. He hadn’t been paying attention, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they weren’t following them at a distance.

  “How fast can you go?” Celia asked.

  “I never checked, if I’m being honest. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, if you can go fast enough, you can exit their jurisdiction. Hell, even enter a different country if you want. And then, you can fly back later when they aren’t as prepared for a response.”

  “I, uh, don’t think that part’s gonna work out. Even if we fly to a different country, how are you gonna get back? Didn’t you think about that?”

  “I did, Elle.” Celia nodded, “But they heard me. They know I am some poor woman who was kidnapped by a dragon, so they’ll easily allow me to come back. Feel free to put me wherever you want, and I’ll find a way.”

  “Resourceful. Very resourceful. This is why I love you, Celia Ingram. Amazing intellect!”

  She ignored him once more and kept looking straight. Meanwhile, Arthur couldn’t get enough of her face. He wasn’t sure how long he was looking, and whether she noticed or not. Either way, as far as he remembered, his eyes did not drift from her for even a moment as Dee continued to fly.

  _____________

  Vil looked up at the sky and sighed. The breeze was nice, the sunlight not too harsh, and the sun was only just beginning to set. This was truly the greatest moment a person could ask for. He had a slight issue with being right in the middle of nowhere, in a small clearing of a crowded forest on top of a hill, but it was acceptable. A far cry from the cities and noise he had gotten used to, but something reminiscent of home.

  Not that he liked to reminisce about home, of course. By all means, he would rather forget and never have anyone bring it up again, but the multiverse often played the cruelest of tricks to keep it all fresh in his mind. There was no escape from the poison that were memories. How long had it been since he had lain down like this, in a place like this? Just that question occurring, according to Vil, was destroying his happiness.

  He looked at Knuckleduster Joe, who was grazing right beside him with a smile on his face. Vil wasn’t sure if horses were even capable of smiling, but he liked to believe they were. Celia had once told him that horses cried, and he had asked her if that meant they also laughed. She didn’t have an answer to that one.

  Probably because it was right after her own pony’s mother had died, and it was an insensitive question to ask. But to him, when he did ask it, it had made sense. It was slightly hilarious how you forgot all of your wits the moment you were in the presence of someone you loved.

  The new Arthur was probably facing that right now. He was sitting right beside Celia as they looked up at the setting sun. They hadn’t actually exchanged a lot of words after they landed. For being the Celia Ingram of his universe, they did not really talk a lot. Back in Helonia, he never stopped talking to Celia. They even talked to each other in their sleep. It was the most wondrous thing in the world.

  Of course, there was the little barrier called Elle sitting along with them. That might have interrupted a truly honest conversation. But it also carried its own charm. He was a socially stunted man, but also a very honest one. He said what he thought. Sometimes, so quickly and in such succession that he didn’t even take pauses. Such was the passion and speed of youth. Such was Elle, especially after everything that had happened to him.

  Vil felt the sword on his waist clatter in the wind, and a chill went down his spine. A sudden thought made him feel insecure. But now that it had taken place in his mind, there was no ridding himself of it. He stood up and stretched his arms. His armor had been carefully laid to the side, so he dusted off the dirt on his clothes and started putting it back on.

  It had been a long time since he learned an important lesson. Once you thought of something, it was foolish to keep acting like you hadn’t thought it. It first began when he tried to convince himself he hadn’t fallen in love with Celia, even though he had. Now, he didn’t make mistakes like that. When something came into his mind, he accepted it. And if he could act on it, he acted on it. That was the path true warriors walked. Perhaps it wasn’t the most intelligent or the most considerate, but it was true. True to himself, at the very least.

  If you lose yourself, then who will I love?

  Her words echoed in his mind every second of every day. And that was more than enough to tell him that this needed to end. Otherwise, the pain never would.

  Once his armor was on, he walked over to the three sitting on the grass and cleared his throat. They all looked up and waved. Elle asked him to come and sit beside them. How he wished he could do that. How he wished that his heart did not ache so much every time he looked at her. But it did. It really, really did.

  “Arthur Cross.” He spoke up, “Stand up.”

  “What?” The new Arthur looked at him with confusion.

  “We have unfinished business, Arthur Cross. So, stand up and face me.”

  “Vil, what the fuck are you on about?”

  “Do not interfere, Elle. This is between him and I. Do you understand?”

  “Sure?”

  Reluctantly, the new Arthur stood up and cleaned the dirt off his pants. Right there, with the sun shining on his scratched spectacles and torn shirt, he looked like a bad joke. A pathetic, broken man. But he also made Vil uncomfortable. He made him uncomfortable because of how strong this man was. Really, really strong.

  “Arthur Cross, pick up your blade. I challenge you to a duel, with the love of Celia Ingram at stake.”