The horror of the appearance of the water wall paired with Taekwoon’s seeming recovery left all the riders in a strange place. Insoo didn’t give them much time to think about either as well. While leaving Taekwoon and Hyunseong in the care of Chaerin and Jungkook, he urged the rest to start getting ready to fly. With the state of their home now in serious doubt, and the rest of the continent for that matter, there was little reason to keep staying here.

            Do you know what happened? he asked Gunwoo as he watched to make sure the riders were doing as he asked before he started his own work.

            Gunwoo was silent for a moment, obviously speaking with the other dragons nearby. Then he shook his head but offered, We don’t know but it was probably Tiamat and Bahamut.

            I figured as much, the wing leader exhaled, wrinkling his nose in distaste. How are the dragons? Pausing in his work, he looked out over the creatures nearby and took another breath. They were trying to help by staying out of the way as much as possible and worrying over the ones that would have trouble flying.

            Most are ready to fly. We will need to help seven though, he admitted, the heavy weight of sadness b over in his words.

            Can we use the materials from when we arrived? Improvise carrying slings? Insoo suggested, glancing at one of the nearby sacks that had been folded up for storage. Thinking out loud, he added, If we cut the sack open and secure the ends with the rope, a dragon like you could use it to carry or at least assist a weaker one with flying. Right?

            Gunwoo looked at the pile thoughtfully and tilted his head. He moved over and carefully picked up the material in his claws, testing the strength with a slight narrowing of his eyes. Maybe, he eventually agreed with a look towards Hero and Gain, both of whom were nearby. They seemed to start a brief exchange as Gunwoo lifted the material in his claws.

            With that possibility in motion, Insoo turned his attention to Jongup and Taekwoon with a pang of guilt and discomfit he couldn’t quite shake. Chaerin kept coming back to check on him but neither the rider nor his dragon had moved yet. The blue was content to stay curled around him, maintaining constant contact. As for Taekwoon, he just seemed out of it. Dazed. He was awake and aware, which was a blessing of sorts, but there was no emotion on his face. Maybe he was talking to Jongup…?

            Whatever the case might have been, it was something that Insoo could fix immediately so there was little point in worrying about it just then. There were larger concerns to deal with and his own feelings of uncertainty wouldn’t help the rider either. As it was, the group spent the majority of the afternoon preparing to get moving and making sure the dragons would be alright. Nor were the dragons the only concern. He could still feel plenty of tension coming from his wing mates but at least it was being directed at him instead of Taekwoon this time. And as long as they were still willing to follow him, it would be alright for now.

            By evening, they were as ready as they were going to be, but flying in the dark wasn’t a good idea under the best of times so everyone agreed they should leave at first light. More thin soup was their evening meal. Jinyoung had been thinking ahead when he’d told them not to use their travel rations for now. They were getting stale of course, but they kept for a good amount of time without going bad. And Insoo knew the dragons would be gorging tonight in preparation for the journey. There was no telling if they’d find much food on the way, especially given what had happened…

            When everyone was winding down, Insoo made his final rounds. Now that their impetus to get ready was gone, he could tell that the riders’ resentment of him had started to shift towards very real worry and fear. He felt it too and tried to offer at least some words of praise and hope.

            “You did well today.”

            “We’ll have a better idea of how things look tomorrow.”

            “Thank you for your hard work.”

            The words felt hollow as he spoke them though. They were only words after all. It wasn’t like he could actually help them. Any of them… He very much felt like a fraud. Who was he to lead them in a situation like this? Gunwoo nudged at him intentionally and Insoo took a quick breath to stamp down the feelings. Sorry, he apologized, swallowing hard. I’m just not sure I know what I’m doing, he admitted after a brief pause.

            Gunwoo gave the impression of shrugging. Take it day by day. No one has all the answers. You can only do what you can do.

            Right, Insoo sighed, rubbing at his arm reflexively. How are the dragons?

            As ready as we can be, the bronze promised with a sage nod. But we are troubled… he admitted, the words soft and hesitant.

            Oh? Insoo asked, turning to look at his dragon in the dim light.

            Trance is strange, Gunwoo explained, shaking his head. Too calm. We think something has happened to one of the gods.

            Happened? the wing leader prompted for clarification.

            Not dead. We would know, but we think the fighting has stopped. We can’t feel the tension we did before, he murmured, looking at the other dragons nearby as if they could help him with answers.

            Insoo grabbed his chin to think before he responded. If they’d stopped fighting, then one of several things could have happened. They could have ended in a draw of sorts and agreed to stop. That was probably the best possible outcome but also the least likely. One could have successfully fled. Possible but not probable. Or… one actually became the victor in their fight. What happens if one of them wins? he asked carefully, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

            Gunwoo’s reluctance to respond was all the reason he needed to know it probably wasn’t good. We aren’t sure, the bronze shrugged apologetically. But if one does win, they will probably try to continue what they intended originally.

            Yeah… that was definitely not good. Insoo grimaced as he considered the two dragons. Tiamat had wanted to elevate her first children back to primacy and she’d had no qualms about punishing the humans in her path, but Bahamut… If he’d understood correctly from Chaerin, that god wanted to wipe the slate clean and start over. He shuddered involuntarily at the thought. Can’t believe I’m saying this but if I had to choose an evil, I’d prefer it if Tiamat won…

            His dragon didn’t verbally answer but the sentiment was the same. It’s quiet now so the god may be resting. If they wake, we may feel a change soon.

            Just let me know if something does happen, Insoo urged, drawing close to rest his hand on Gunwoo’s shoulder. There’s not much we can do but I’d still like to know.

            Understood, Gunwoo nodded, bumping his head against his rider’s body reassuringly.

            Morning came early for everyone. The dragons roused slowly from their food induced torpor as the humans ate in relative silence, finally digging into the travel rations once again. When they were finished, they moved among the four weakest dragons and secured the modified harnesses so that four of the largest tier could get ready to carry them. Three more hunkered close to their respective carriers, mostly smaller size dragons that wouldn’t be as difficult to carry manually.

            Once everything was checked and double checked, Insoo gave the order to mount up. Everyone got on their original dragons except for Hyunseong, who rode with Chaerin, and Taekwoon, who now rode his blue. Today, his continued silence was not unusual. All of the riders and dragons were subdued, focusing largely on the journey ahead and what might lay at the end of it.

            With Insoo in the lead, his wing mates followed easily enough, but they lingered in the air as they waited for the rest of the dragons to join them. Carriers were understandably slow to rise, but once airborne, they were as capable as most. The pace Insoo set was slower than usual but no one complained. It gave the dragons a chance to see how the journey would strain them and, while everyone was eager to see home, they were not so quick to want to confirm its ultimate fate…

            Unlike the journey to Tiamat’s Aerie, their return trip was broken into much smaller flights. The carriers needed rest more often and their group stopped more frequently this time around, though the appearance of food was far more lacking. In addition, they did start to spy wild dragons in the distance, but unlike before, these ones did not harass them. They stayed away and watched from a distance, wary but not aggressive. The riders could only hope it was a good sign but when they spoke with their dragons, their companions were not so sure. Trance was still quiet.

            That remained true throughout the first day of travel. The area around them was equally subdued, but that was also probably because they could start to see where the water wall had reached on the continent. Huge swaths of debris marked the line of where it had stopped before pulling back. The space beyond was still soaked and the ground was either littered with more detritus or completely torn from the sheer power of the wave.

            The scenery and silence remained steady on the second day as well.

            But on the third… Chaerin and Hyunseong gasped as Fei bucked beneath them. The dragon struggled to remain in flight as panic, fear, and surprise surged through the bond with her rider. At the same time, Chaerin’s stomach twisted as her body grew strangely tingly. Startled, the pair immediately looked for help and Chaerin’s fear compounded as the other dragons started to fall out of the sky around them. The only ones that seemed even remotely well off were Jongup and two other golds: Gain and Andy.

            The four dazedly looked at each other as if speaking through Trance. Chaerin saw them nod in tandem, felt Fei take a deep breath, and then jerked as all four screamed at the dragons around them. She didn’t know what they were saying, but the resonating hum through their bond made her heart pound and a shiver go down her spine. It felt like a rallying cry, like hope…

            Her hands tightened on the straps holding her to Fei and she felt Hyunseong’s arms grip her waist tighter as they watched in breathless anticipation. One by one, the plummeting dragons shook their heads and started to come out of their fall, wings snapping open and beating furiously. Defiant cries rose up in a growing cacophony of sound that made the very air vibrate with outrage. Chaerin was equally happy the tingling sensation in her body seemed to be disappearing at the same time.

            “What happened?” Hyunseong whispered in her ear as most of the dragons rose back up and started circling in the air. Their angry agitation was obvious in the way they swung their heads from side to side as if looking for a target, claws mostly crooked and ready.

            “I don’t know,” Chaerin admitted around a hard swallow. Glancing down, she noticed that not all of the dragons had managed to get back up. Three were on the ruined ground, all the signs of an uncontrolled landing evident, though it could have been the effects of the water wall as well. “Oh shards,” she grimaced, pointing reflexively.

            Almost immediately, Fei started to dive. Nor was she the only one. Even with one of the wounded under her, Gain was just ahead. Their initiative started a wave of dragons heading down, all landing uncertainly on the ground around their fallen members. They were alive, but it wasn’t clear how injured they were yet. No one needed to be told to dismount. All the riders did so instinctively as they gathered together, minus one. Taekwoon had stayed with his dragon. He was listening but it almost looked as if he couldn’t or wouldn’t leave his dragon’s side.

            Insoo took note but didn’t say anything as he addressed his riders. “Is everyone alright?” They gave shaky replies but none of them were hurt. They were just confused and scared.

            “What happened?” Chaerin asked, unable to get anything directly from her dragon.

            Their Wing Leader grimaced and he frowned as if listening to something. Gunwoo was probably talking to him but it was either a lot of information or difficult to understand. The other riders seemed to be dealing with something similar if their wincing expressions were anything to go by. Chaerin grabbed Hyunseong’s hand and gave him a reassuring squeeze. It hurt that they couldn’t speak with their dragons, and it was worse that they couldn’t understand what was going on just yet.

            Finally though, Insoo waved his hands to get their attention and started speaking. “The dragons think Bahamut woke up. Or at least made a move,” he explained uncertainly, quite obviously not sure what that meant.

            “But what happened though? It was like the first time when Bahamut and Tiamat fought,” Jinyoung spoke quickly, his hands moving in front of him like he was trying to conjure an answer.

            “And why weren’t they affected?” Wooyoung added, his finger drifting between Chaerin and Taekwoon, though his eyes glanced to the nearby golds as well.

            “Again, Bahamut,” Insoo stated firmly as he used his hands to motion for them to stop. “We’re not sure what he did but obviously it affected most of our dragons. Woo, and Gain,” he added with a motion towards the gold, “think some might be different because their bond is weak or nonexistent. At least when it comes to Bahamut’s blood.”

            Chaerin glanced down at her hands as she remembered what she’d felt when the dragons fell. She hadn’t really felt it then but she recalled what happened when Bahamut had first roared. They’d fallen out of the sky at that time, even though they didn’t have a bond with dragon’s blood. But they had been quite close to Bahamut though… “What about the wilds?!” she gasped, looking up suddenly. The last time the dragon god had roared, they’d gone crazy.

            As one, the other riders looked up too, crouching into defensive postures. There were no wilds directly above them but they could see some figures in the distance. It was too hard to tell if they were heading this way or not. Had they fallen as well? Or were they unaffected by the cry that had disabled the dragons in the Trance space?

            “Wooyoung. Jinyoung. Get a quick perimeter flight going,” Insoo instructed with a nod towards their red and copper. “We’ll keep in touch through our dragons,” he promised, meeting both their gazes.

            “Sir!” the two chirped in response, straightening up with a breath before they dashed over to their dragons and took to the skies.

            When they were gone, Taeyeon stepped just a bit closer, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Soo, I get her,” she murmured, pointing at Chaerin as she her bottom lip. “But what about Taekwoon? He went through Symbiosis like the rest of us,” she added, head tilting uncertainly.

            Insoo grimaced and he exhaled as he shook his head. “He did, but it’s hard to feel anything else when all you have is pain.”

            Taeyeon’s gaze drifted to the other rider and then she looked down with a visible flinch when he met her eyes. “Sorry,” she murmured, taking a quiet step back.

            “It’s alright,” Insoo assured her with a quick wave. But when he looked around, his face took on a tense worried expression again. “Okay. The dragons are all pretty shook up still so we’re gonna settle here for now and assess the damage. Take a break for the moment. We’ll figure out what to do after.” Insoo waved them off and then immediately moved closer to the dragons to see for himself what their situation was.

            Chaerin stood still for a few breaths before Jungkook surprised her. “Are you guys alright?” the other rider asked, looking between her and her brother with a worried expression. “You look a little pale,” he admitted, reaching one hand up to feel her forehead.

            “I’m okay,” Chaerin urged with a reactive flinch, forcing a laugh when her response felt a bit strong. “Just surprised, right Seongie?” she asked, glancing up at the taller man beside her.

            “Right…” he agreed distractedly, his attention still lingering on Taekwoon and Jongup.

            “Thanks,” Chaerin smiled at Jungkook while she reached over to rub Hyunseong’s arm supportively. “Are you okay?” she asked, nodding at him while she fought the impulse to go check on Taekwoon herself.

            “Same as you,” he promised with a stronger smile than she could muster. “But definitely worried about what it all means,” he admitted, his brave front slipping as he looked back at V milling with the other dragons nervously. None of them could seem to stay very still and their heads kept swinging around as if searching for an enemy they knew was there but couldn’t see.

            “Why don’t you go and try to calm him down a bit,” Chaerin encouraged with a nod towards the agitated red.

            “Yeah. I probably should,” he agreed with a slight worried frown. “I’ll be right back,” he promised, jogging over to check in with his dragon again.

            She watched as V stilled when his rider approached. Some of the tension in his body left immediately when they were back in physical contact. “Seongie, stay with Fei, alright?” she urged, gently pushing her brother towards the gold.

            “Huh?” he blinked in surprise but didn’t argue when the gold swung her head close to nose at him in a familiar, welcoming gesture. “Sure,” he mumbled, reaching out to hold Fei’s head in a loose hug.

            Her brother taken care, Chaerin took a breath and set her sights on Taekwoon. She didn’t like that he was so withdrawn. It made sense, given what had happened, but it bothered her. Gathering her courage, she wandered close and called out, “Taekwoon.” He lifted his head at the sound of his name and glanced in her direction but didn’t actually look at her. “You okay?” she asked, leaning over to try and get a better look at his face.

            “I’m fine,” he answered in a flat and emotionless voice.

            Chaerin quietly scoffed at the response, recognizing the easy lie. “How’s Jongup?” she tried instead, taking another step closer before wincing when his eyes shifted to meet hers.

            “Fine,” he repeated with a long stare before giving a slow blink and looking away again.

            It was a short but chilling glance and it made her shiver. Even though his dragon half was gone, he came off as very draconic just then. No glowing eyes but he might as well have been a wild for all the emotion that had been there… “Okay,” she hummed, bringing her hands close to clasp them together in front of her. “Just checking.” She didn’t know what else to say or try so Chaerin backed away and returned to Fei’s side until something changed.

            When Insoo called them all together again, she was sure that not more than a mark had passed, but it felt longer. The sun had barely changed its position in the sky and the energy in the group had remained largely the same: agitated and uncertain. “It’s not what I want to do but we’re gonna stay here for the night. You might have heard that the dragons want a chance to figure out what’s going on without the risk of falling from the sky,” he exhaled with a grimace. “We’ll get the wounded out of their carrying straps and figure out how to handle things on the morrow,” he explained with a firm nod. “Dismissed.” His wave and tone were half-hearted, like he was at a loss and didn’t know what else to do.

            Jinyoung went to his side immediately but the other riders drifted in different directions. Well, Taekwoon stayed where he was, but Jungkook came back to Chaerin and Hyunseong while Taeyeon wandered over to talk with Wooyoung. With the exception of Fei and Jongup, the other dragons gathered together in a large band, all facing each other. After a moment, Hero drew close to Fei, stationing himself on her other side, while Gain drifted to Jongup’s, and they all resumed their focus on the group at large.

            Chaerin wished she could join the conversation. At least without going into Trance anyway. It was a scary thought right now. The dragon gods were incredibly intimidating in person, but they had a much stronger effect in the Trance space. But as the dragons conversed, Chaerin started to get surprisingly sleepy and she winced when a yawn started to take over.

            Jungkook noticed again and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You alright?”

            “Yeah,” she nodded while rubbing at the bridge of her nose. “Just tired all of a sudden,” she laughed once, not sure why.

            “You should probably take a nap then,” he shrugged with a nod at her dragon’s side. “We’ve got time and I can wake you if anything comes up,” he grinned, the expression just a little brighter than it probably deserved to be.

            “Fine, fine,” she waved with a light chuckle. “Just for a little bit.” While she settled against Fei’s warm body, she watched Jungkook turn his attention to Hyunseong as he tried to get the other man to talk at least a little bit. For whatever reason, it made her happy that the other rider was trying to help her brother. Goodness knew she wasn’t sure what to do. Content to leave him in the rider’s care, she closed her eyes and let her body relax.

            Yet, as soon as she felt herself drifting off, she became aware of a strange tingling sensation setting in again. Reflexively, she tried to fight it and move back into wakefulness, but something stopped her. Maybe it was sheer curiosity or something else entirely, but she stilled and let herself fall into unconsciousness.

            Her dreams… were strange. At least it felt like a dream. The space she found herself in was mostly dark. Movement flickered at the edge of her vision, like watching clouds shift and form in the distance, but there was little else anywhere that she could see. Yet, the air felt strange. Heavy. Almost like dense fog. Her ears itched and the skin on the back of her neck crawled.

            A faint light appeared just under her vision. When she looked down, Chaerin gasped as she saw it was coming from her. She flinched again when she realized she was completely unclothed and that was why she could see all the silver lines, like luminous veins, extending over her body. “What the…?” she trailed off, blinking in confusion while she turned her hands over to inspect both sides.

            That strange tingling sensation started up again and she could feel it coming from the lines this time. Staring, Chaerin ran her fingertips down the silver thread of her left forearm and shivered when the feeling intensified, almost painful in its strength. “Now I’m really confused,” she whispered, looking around once more, like if she searched hard enough, something would appear.

            Where?

                Chaerin jumped in surprise and froze as the single word faintly pierced the darkness. “Hello?” she called softly, body bent over in a partial crouch, ready to jump away if she needed to.

            Child… blood.

                “Who’s there?” Chaerin asked as a tendril of fear took root in her gut. Her hands drew close in an instinctive protective motion.

            … you.

            Chaerin’s body locked as she felt something focus on her. Something large and powerful… She looked to her left when the space seemed to shift and swell like something was coming. A shadow rose up, formless but overwhelming in size and presence. Chaerin screamed and desperately tried to flee as she clenched her eyes tight.

            With a jerky gasp, she opened her eyes to the light of day and a group of dragons still gathered nearby. Immediately to her right, Jungkook and Hyunseong looked down at her in surprised concern. “What’s wrong, Rin?” Hyunseong asked as he squatted beside her while Jungkook followed his example.

            Chaerin took a breath and shook her head as she tried to shake the fear that last moment had conjured in her. “Just a bad dream I think,” she exhaled slowly, attempting to force herself to calm down.

            “What kind of bad dream?” Jungkook asked, placing his hand on her shin reassuringly.

            “I’m not sure,” she admitted as she pressed the back of her hand against .

            “Okay,” Jungkook nodded with a shrug. “Maybe no sleep for you right now,” he laughed once with a glance at Hyunseong. “Come on then.” He reached down to help her up so she wouldn’t be tempted to close her eyes again. “Let’s go talk to Insoo and see if that might distract you, yeah?” His tone was almost playful, intentionally cajoling her to try and lighten the mood.

            “Yeah,” she nodded in slow agreement, starting to move with them. But she felt someone watching her again and her gaze drifted over to meet Taekwoon’s eyes. It was unsettling to say the least, especially because his dragon was mirroring him. There was no curiosity or anger or suspicion. It was just pure, unbridled focus. Like they knew something was there but they couldn’t see it.

            “Chaerin?” Jungkook asked when he noticed her attention shift.

            “Huh?” she gasped, jerking to look over at him instead, breaking the connection she’d had with Taekwoon. She noticed Jungkook and her brother shift just a touch as if to hide her from view and when she looked back at the other dragonrider, both he and his dragon turned away, the focus of their attention lost.

            “What was that?” Hyunseong asked, leaning close.

            “Nothing,” Chaerin shook her head and gave them both a nudge to get moving again. “It was nothing,” she repeated as if she could make herself believe it. With everything else that had happened, she was not ready for this level of strange right now.