Untouched by the grief and anger of dragons or men, concealed from the notice of the world, unknowing of what the future held, a conversation unfolded that had the potential to determine the direction of everyone’s fate.

                “I cannot beat him now. I don’t know if I ever could.”

            “If you can’t, what do you expect me to do?”

            “You might be able to help tip the balance. We never imagined something like you and your dragons. Your mate.”

            “Hah! A broken human is your leverage?”

            “And his dragons.”

            “Fine. How do we fit into this if all goes as you hope?”

            “If we succeed, you could regain what you lost. But know that things will never go back to the way they were.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “I may be a god, but even I don’t have all the answers.”

            “…”

            “Even so, it would be better to succeed. If we fail… then you will die and I will probably face a similar fate.”

            “Cursed if I do and cursed if I don’t then, but why should I trust you either way?”

            “Why should you trust me? You shouldn’t. But no one else can help you find what you seek and we do have the same goal. Bahamut. I care little for your kind now. You were always his favorite. But he has changed. He loves nothing anymore. And if we don’t stop him, everything will end.”

            “What do you mean everything?”

            “Everything. Or at least all humans and dragons. Together, it was easy to create the world, but now… it is not so simple to unmake such a thing by himself. He doesn’t know where to start this ending, and I can’t say if he will be selective or indiscriminate.”

            “So what would you get out of this? Other than saving the dragons. Are you going to try and destroy all the humans as punishment?”

            “Oh come now. If I survive… You’ll just have to wait and see!”

            “Don’t toy with me.”

            “Hah! You’re adorable when you’re annoyed.”

            “This isn’t annoyed.”

            “Now, now. Save your anger. You’ll need it for later.”

            “Ugh…”

            “Good. Now listen well. This is the most important part.”

            With Jongup’s nose tucked under his arm, Taekwoon the blue’s head as they bided their time in Trance. Tiamat had effectively trapped them here with the promise of using them once she made her way to Bahamut. He had misgivings about the sheer lack of explanation regarding why they couldn’t simply wait in their own forms, but there was little he could do to force a response. Besides, he had plenty of other things to worry about in the immediate future.

            Getting to Bahamut was only the first problem. There were a few other sizable mountains they’d need to overcome in the process. Not the least of which was finding Jonghyun and… Jinki. His hands stilled at the thought and a painful twist wrenched his gut.

            Will find them, Jongup promised, bumping his nose against his rider’s side.

            Taekwoon looked down at the amber eyes and sighed. “Can you feel him? My dragon I mean.”

            Little bit, was the quick response. But happy. Mate somewhere.

            His mouth twitched and he fought not to grimace. “How do we know it’s not just from my bond with you?”

            Jongup actively shook his head. Not. Would know.

            It wasn’t the most reassuring of answers but he had no reason to doubt his dragon. And really, the rest of his worries could only be addressed when they arrived. The situation left him with time to look back, if only because he was unsure of how they’d gotten here. “What happened before we ran into Tiamat? With Chaerin and the other dragon?”

            The blue huffed once and took a breath before responding. Fei said help us. Rider not want to. But Fei protect rider. Like I protect you. She worry Tiamat hurt rider. Not say why.

            “I see,” Taekwoon mused, brows furrowed as he could almost hear the sound of her desperate voice crying out as they fled the others. He knew they would have tried to stop them but he hadn’t realized the dragons had been making plans independent of them.

            No lie, Jongup reminded him.

            “No. You just didn’t tell me certain things,” he snorted, tapping the dragon’s forehead with a loose fist before rubbing at the space with his knuckles. “And the other dragon?”

            Silver. Familiar. Saw before with sister wing. You kill rider. Protect wing leader, the blue recalled, missing the name but giving enough information for Taekwoon.

            He wrinkled his nose in distaste as he grumbled, “Siwon.” The creature had been quite upset at him for killing his rider. He saw it in his eyes the last time they’d shared the same space. “What happened to him?”

            Not… sure, his dragon spoke slowly, as if he was being careful what he said or didn’t know what to say. Still feel but… strange.

            “Why?”

            Not sure, he repeated, looking down.

            “Uppie,” Taekwoon sighed, knowing his dragon was hiding something from him. There was probably a reason for it. For a moment, he debated the merit of trying to force a response but grimaced at the thought. That wouldn’t be kind to either of them. “Alright,” he shrugged, opening his hand to pet the dragon’s face again. “After everything is over, you can tell me.”

            Jongup didn’t say anything, but he did try to hunker closer, his arm coming around to brace Taekwoon against him lightly. It was essentially a hug and it worried Taekwoon more than the lack of words did.

            In this space, there was no way to tell the passing of time. All markers were missing and the scenery never changed beyond the usual ebb and flow of the gray space surrounding them. Why Tiamat had not allowed them to wait in their own physical forms was beyond Taekwoon, though he had a thought he was just as happy not exploring right now.

            Really, marks or even days could have been passing for all he knew. Nor was there any change with his inner dragon. He could still feel him, a specter of his former self, but there. Right now he just felt dormant or perhaps tired. Whatever the reason, he was glad enough to have him. It made Taekwoon feel less broken. Ready for what he was going to have to try and do when they finally met Bahamut.

            His thoughts turned dark at Tiamat’s last words and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was right. By the time he could actually worry about such a thing, it was too late and he noticed Jongup’s head turn and tilt. Taekwoon felt like he should be able to hear something and he strained to catch a snippet of whatever it was. But then Jongup flinched. Pressure shoved at them like the weight of a wall of wind. A dull roar whispered into his awareness and Taekwoon looked to see what was causing it.

            “A wall?” he frowned, slowly getting to his feet as he saw a barrier approaching. Set against the gray space, it was a writhing surface of stormy clouds bearing down on them.

            It begin, Jongup warned, shifting to stand defensively at Taekwoon’s side, his wings pressed tight to his sides and his head lowered. Only his amber eyes moved, darting across the moving surface as if searching for something.

            “What has?” his rider murmured, placing a hand on the quivering shoulder.

            They meet. Fight soon, the dragon hissed, tail swishing once as the wall slowed and stopped before jumping forward again.

            For one moment, Taekwoon felt the need to flee, to get away from the advancing darkness, but he also knew there was no escaping it. The barrier extended as far as he could see in every direction, including below where the ground should have stopped it. He took a quick breath as his heart hiccupped in his chest when he thought he felt something stir… One hand reached forward almost on its own accord and he watched it before urging his feet to move. “Let’s go,” he whispered, brushing his fingertips against Jongup’s shoulder.

            He leaned forward to lunge and Jongup jumped up from behind him. Talons gripped him around the waist carefully drawing him up as wings lifted the dragon into the open space. They approached the wall with every nerve alight. Jongup flapped once more and then curled his wings around them both, protecting his rider as they careened into the barrier. It swallowed them like thickened smoke, clinging to every stretch of cloth and skin with a tingling sensation.

            And then they were through, tumbling into another similar Trance space. Unlike the shifting darkened gray of Tiamat’s, this one looked like the gray clouds of an ending day. As Taekwoon stumbled to an awkward stop, he cringed at the sheer stillness of their surroundings. He knew it was Trance and yet it felt almost dead in its sterility. “Did we make it?” he wondered aloud, looking at Jongup out of the corner of his eye.

            Jongup raised his head and sniffed, tilting from side to side in a questing motion. Yes! he crowed excitedly. Mate!

            Taekwoon’s gut twisted at the confirmation and it took everything in him not to start shouting into the distance. He couldn’t quite control his breathing or his pulse but his body was still under his control. “And Bahamut?” he asked, raising his hand to trail his fingers over his heart. His dragon half was trying to stir, sluggish and tired, but there. Like a dowsing rod, it seemed as if he was searching for the other part of the connection.

            Not sure, Jongup responded, suddenly hunching down to make himself small, wings tucked tight and body low to the ground. Everywhere but not know if sense us.

            “Okay,” Taekwoon whispered, unable to banish the tremble in his voice. “Come on,” he encouraged, touching his dragon’s shoulder again as they started walking together.

            Sensitive to the minute shifts they felt from each other regarding changing directions, the pair wound their way through the unchanging space. Taekwoon’s skin crawled like a thousand eyes were staring at him and it made it difficult to focus. He wondered how Jongup felt but though their bond was secure, the situation made it hard to notice.

            It would be better if they could find Jonghyun and Jinki before Bahamut realized they were there, but they had nothing to go on other than distorted feelings. While the space was unchanging, it did not give straight directions. Instead, it seemed to bend Taekwoon’s perception of where the sensations were coming from. Jongup felt it too by the way they both moved forward as if drunk, veering left and then right again without any noticeable change before them.

            All too suddenly, the space itself seemed to freeze and Taekwoon stopped dead in his tracks with a feeling of impending doom. In his periphery, Jongup shrank down even lower, nearly lying on the ground now. Taekwoon reached his hand to the top of the blue back and gripped the slightly raised spine hard, ready. Taekwoon expected a grand entrance for the dragon god, much like Tiamat was prone to. He did not anticipate a whisper in his ear.

            “What have we here.” It wasn’t a question.

            Jongup leapt forward, partially dragging Taekwoon along before his tail caught the rider around the waist and finished yanking him out of immediate range. The blue pivoted and tore his talons into the ground to stop himself as Taekwoon slid to a halt beneath him, both very much shaken and caught off guard.

            “I thought I felt something here,” Bahamut murmured, his silver eyes unblinking in a perfectly chiseled but pale face. It was the same face that Taekwoon had seen in his second Trial. He was the same.

            ‘Confront him directly if you run into him first. He will not care either way, but as long as you don’t cower, you may catch his interest.’ Taekwoon took a quick breath and numbly crawled out from under his dragon. “I’m here for my mate!” he growled, hands balling into fists quite naturally.

            So very similar to Tiamat, the silver dragon god’s brow rose and he snorted. “I had not realized that one was still here. Huh,” he chirped with a dismissive shrug. “No matter. He will fade in time.”

            “No!” Taekwoon denied, rage boiling up at the mere thought. ‘Get angry but not too angry. You still need to be able to think clearly to respond.’

            “Away,” the dragon god waved with his hand, clearly done with their encounter.

            Taekwoon braced for the attack but frowned curiously when all he felt was a shove that was no worse than a large gust of wind. “I will not leave without my mate,” he snarled, looking up to meet Bahamut’s gaze directly. Unlike with Tiamat, he was not paralyzed by their power difference here. Oh, the dragon god could surely destroy him with ease, but this time, he had a purpose.

            “Hmm,” Bahamut hummed, brow creasing in curiosity. He directed his attention at Jongup and pointed, “You. Shoo.” Jongup dug his talons in harder and snarled back, body shivering like a strange wind passed over and then stilling. Taekwoon did not expect the flat chuckle that emerged from Bahamut’s throat next.

            ‘No matter what he tells you, you must stay focused on getting to your dragon and your mate.’ “What’s so funny?” Taekwoon demanded, swallowing loudly. His skin itched like his inner dragon was waking but he didn’t feel the creature trying to stir just yet. It was more like he was still searching.

            “You have nowhere to go,” he answered, a thoughtful smile that was almost a smirk tugging at his lips.

            The sense of unease that had been hiding in the back of Taekwoon’s mind suddenly woke and twisted hard, making him recall the dark thought he didn’t want to consider earlier. “It doesn’t matter,” he growled despite his own misgivings.

            Bahamut responded as if he hadn’t heard him. “I should probably just put you out of your misery now. It would certainly make dealing with her simpler,” he added, expression twisting as if he was briefly distracted.

            ‘If you see an opening, you should probably take it.’ Taekwoon looked at Jongup with a quick nod and the two launched forward. His inner dragon woke enough to fuel his form with anger. No shadow of his dragon self appeared, but Taekwoon attacked anyway. Well aware of what had happened with Tiamat, he was ready for the hand that rose, almost lazily, to stop him. Ducking under it swiftly, he tried for a left cross and choked when Bahamut’s other hand came up to grip his throat, stopping him with ease. It lasted for less than a heartbeat.

            Jongup’s jaws snapped shut around Bahamut’s forearm, teeth a mere finger length from Taekwoon’s face. “Ow,” Bahamut commented, fingers relaxing to release the rider. Taekwoon stumbled back enough to watch as the dragon god knocked Jongup’s head away with an underhand strike. Massive teeth shredded his flesh and he grimaced at the ruined mess of his arm while Jongup staggered away in a daze.

            Stunned, Taekwoon blinked in shock. Logic said it should have been bitten off. Reality said otherwise. Then he realized that Bahamut was distracted again. ‘But remember…’ He surged forward once more, driving his elbow into the dragon god’s chest, just below the v shape of his bone. In any other man, it would have stunned him. In the dragon god, it made Bahamut frown and look down.

            Taekwoon had just enough time to realize he had been foolish again. It took everything he had to curl up defensively and it was just barely enough. The claw swipe with a blunt hand that struck him felt like a dragon running into his body. Agony radiated as he crumpled, vision graying when he hit the ground and rolled, struggling to stay conscious. ‘… you must survive.’

            He heard Jongup’s panicked roar. Bahamut’s command silenced him. “Stay.” And all Taekwoon could do was struggle to breathe much less think. He was pretty sure his arm was broken and he’d be lucky if that was the worst of it… His eyes were watering so bad he could barely see through them. A distorted and pale figure walked towards him. Taekwoon knew it was Bahamut. He knew he should get up. Needed to be on his feet to meet the dragon god. But he couldn’t… Like before, panic and true fear surged when Bahamut stepped on the side of his neck firmly. He was going to die…

            ‘Do whatever you must, but you cannot die.’ “Tiamat’s trying to trap you!” he blurted in a pained rasp, one hand clawing at the ground and the other unresponsive.

            “Of course she is,” Bahamut responded easily, unsurprised by the statement, but he did not step down yet. “She can’t defeat me in a fair fight. But it won’t matter.”

            “How do you know that?” Taekwoon whispered, breathing hard as he tried to stall for time. ‘He won’t be easy to fool, no matter what you do, but he will probably expect you to act like a less than honorable creature.’ “You didn’t know my mate was here and she did. She’s more aware than you are,” he pressed, knowing the taunt would either annoy or amuse the dragon god.

            Bahamut snorted once and then fell silent, the weight of his thoughts pressing down on Taekwoon like a storm. He nearly gasped in surprised relief when the foot moved off his neck. “And I suppose you know something about this trap then?” he prompted, reaching down to grab Taekwoon’s hair this time and lift him up.

            Taekwoon hissed and reached at the hand holding him with his functioning one, fresh tears stinging his eyes. “Yes,” he croaked when he was left with just enough room to stand on his tip toes.

            “Tell me,” Bahamut encouraged, silver eyes level with Taekwoon’s, the dark gold pupils slits like a dragon’s.

            It was hard to meet his gaze. All predator and power, Taekwoon wanted nothing more than to run away. But he couldn’t avert his gaze, much less make his body move. “Let me… see… my mate… first,” he panted, forcing words past a stiff tongue.

            “Why?” the dragon god asked, tilting his head to the side in a very draconic motion.

            ‘If your situation is dire, you can always try to play to his godhood.’ “You took him from me,” he nearly cried, struggling to keep his footing. “At least grant me this final kindness. From my creator to his child.”

            Bahamut’s eyes narrowed and his lips thinned. “How do I know this isn’t part of Tiamat’s trap? She did manage to sneak you in after all. I have to wonder why?” he mused, expression turning thoughtful.

            ‘And if that doesn’t work, remember, we are proud creatures.’ Taekwoon almost laughed, the sound coming out broken and like a cough instead. “Even if it was, you already said it wouldn’t matter,” he reminded the dragon god. “I just want to see Jinki… one more time…” he pleaded, unable to stop his grief filled tears this time. “But,” he rasped, swallowing hard and trying to clear his vision enough to meet the other man’s gaze. “If a meeting of two weak and soon to die humans is somehow a threat to the great dragon god Bahamut, I guess it can’t be helped.”

            His words made Bahamut laugh in earnest this time. “Now I know you’re part of the trap,” he grinned, reaching his free hand to pat Taekwoon’s cheek patronizingly. Taekwoon’s heart sank and he cringed preemptively, waiting for whatever fate might befall him. It didn’t come yet though. “Still,” the dragon god hummed, letting his eyes drift outward as if he could see Tiamat beyond. He probably could… “I am curious. Let’s see what game she’s playing,” he grinned, returning his full attention to Taekwoon before he casually tossed him away.

            Taekwoon screamed in pain and fear. His neck felt like it had almost snapped and now he was literally flying through Trance space without any idea of where he was heading. Or where the ground was. ‘There it is.’ The thought passed through his mind in a fugue of agony and disorientation. Ragdoll, he tumbled over and over until he came to an awkward stop lying on his stomach. “Oww…” he hissed through his teeth, using the exhale to draw breath afterwards. It hurt to breathe. Hurt to exist. And he couldn’t even move either arm now. “Jongup?” he called out, not sure if his dragon had followed him. No answer. Taekwoon his lips and tried to carefully move his head so he could look around.

            More gray space in every direction. He couldn’t see anything different. No dragon. No Jinki. No Jonghyun… But what he couldn’t see, something in him could feel. He took a quick breath when his inner dragon finally uncoiled, seeming to fill his body like he was a suit. It was a strange sensation that only got worse when he saw his arms, the same arms he couldn’t move, slide forward. He still hurt the same, but now his body was moving without his control. It should have been alarming, but with it came the unwavering conviction of knowing. ‘This way.’

            “Jong,” he whispered, reaching with every part of his being. “Come back to me. Make me whole again,” he cried, swallowing around a suddenly thick throat. “Show me where my mate is,” he begged, willing his inner dragon to move faster. As surprise gave way and he fully relinquished control to his inner dragon, he saw the ghostly form of it start to appear around his arms. Bronze skin and claws hovered over his limbs. Palms pressed down flat on the ground and Taekwoon was suddenly rising up, still horizontal but above the surface now.

            With greater fluidity and urgency, they moved forward again, swaying as a dragon would when walking. Taekwoon could feel it, his inner dragon’s wings and tail, the head rising up and looking straight ahead. His vision flickered dizzyingly, but when it settled, he could see it. The ghost of a thread, like a single strand of hair in the sunlight. It faded in and out of view but called ever onward. Until…

            Rider…

            Jonghyun! Taekwoon gasped, the single word sending a chill down his spine and a quiver in his heart. The strand solidified, feeling more like a needle and thread stitching up the hole in him.

            Rider!

            I’m coming! he crowed, willing his own dragon form into existence. Shifting within the ghost of his inner dragon, he filled the space with bronze flesh and leapt into the air, using wings where his arms failed him. Flying, they bridged the distance separating them. With a throaty roar, Trance shifted as if pulling back a curtain and Taekwoon saw him. Jinki?

            Sheer joy thrummed through him. Jinki!

            But uncertainty and confusion followed next. Where was Jonghyun?

            Rider! the dragon howled in response, his voice reverberating in the bond between them. A copper shadow emerged from Jinki’s body and unfurled like a newly emerged butterfly. It flapped towards them and crashed into Taekwoon’s dragon form, disappearing in him.

            Overwhelmed by the physical presence of his dragon now existing inside him, like his inner dragon, Taekwoon stalled in the air. Thoughts crowded through his mind and suddenly there were three voices all trying to speak at once: his, his inner dragon, and Jonghyun. He didn’t know what had happened but he still had to get to Jinki. He had to go. He had to-

            A surge of power made all three fall silent and they turned to the source. There was a silver dragon flying towards them. Instinctively, they all knew it was not Bahamut, but it was powerful, for behind it, the dragon appeared to be dragging the wall of Trance that separated Tiamat and Bahamut’s space. A shadow outlined the silver dragon, obscuring the silver in a veil of black.

            All three voices spoke at once. Tiamat. Taekwoon desperately tried to take control and move them towards Jinki’s body, but nothing happened. He felt himself torn: his will vying for control while his dragons were drawn to Tiamat. No! he denied, unable to even draw on his usual rage for it was spellbound.

            He could only watch as the silver dragon approached, seeming to grow in size as it did. Power buzzed and swarmed over them when the silver caught them in the air, engulfing them in powerful limbs. The blanket of his wings shut out the world and Taekwoon felt like he was falling.

            Mottled colors blended throughout the growing dragon’s form as it pulled back and settled at the edge of the wall, tail extending through it. Silver gave way to obsidian skin. It in turn sported blotches of copper and bronze with silver threaded throughout. The wings opened and the bronze dragon was gone.

            Finally, the head and neck solidified into an inky black color. Tiamat raised her head and roared, wings flaring outward as power coalesced around her. Four mounds formed around the base of her neck and shoulders, rising up. Four dragon heads ripped through the mottled flesh and howled with her. Two bronze heads, one copper, and one silver fell silent when Tiamat did, turning this way and that in tandem with the black head.

            “Bahamut!” the black dragon god challenged, his name emerging from five different throats in a discordant cacophony of sound.

            Trance roiled as a pale shadow appeared with an enormous flap of wings. “Tiamat!” the silver dragon god snarled, landing on the surface with an earth shaking thud. “So this was your plan!” he hissed, rising up to his full height to roar at her, fangs fully bared and wings mantled. “You cannot defeat me on your own so you would manipulate and use the power of dragons bound with my blood to counter me.”

            Tiamat’s five heads looked down at him determinedly and nodded. “Yes. I do what I must to stop you.”

            “Some mother you turned out to be,” he spat in a scathing admonishment.

            She winced but snapped in return, “No worse than their father.”

            “Fine,” he snorted, shaking his head in irritation. “Let us end this once and for all.”

            “I couldn’t agree more,” Tiamat nodded, all heads moving together.

            The dragon gods leapt towards each other and clashed in a flurry of claws, wings, and gnashing teeth while Trance erupted around them.

(a/n: This one took me a bit longer to get out than I anticipated but I am mostly satisfied with how it turned out. I will say that this scene has changed considerably from when I first envisioned it. lol As such, I am quite curious as to what you all think but either way, I hope you enjoy it. Also, that final moment is an homage to the original Tiamat in Dungeons and Dragons. She's a hydra. ;) haha)