Somewhere and Nowhere

Not giving attention to the crew of pirates or the excited atmosphere, Jäwell had seen Zuline entering her tent after their arrival and he decided to discreetly join her. He pushed the fabric and entered. The tent was not large, it was just enough for one person. There were furs on the floor and an inside little stove to keep the place warm. Large carpets made of heavy cotton isolated from the cold sand and he saw a round low table with two glasses and a bottle of wine. 

Zuline moved from behind a curtain, she was now dressed in a light linen white dress, and she came to take a seat on the furs on the floor next to the table in silence. The place was cozy and it felt right to be here with her at the moment. Jäwell came to join her, he sat next to her in front of the fire, took the bottle, and served them a glass. The prince stared at her and her slow and delicate moves, it felt almost as if they separated only the day before. 

"Were you waiting for someone?" He asked with a hint of an unknown emotion in his voice. 

"Shadows told me you fought a dragon and you were coming here," She answered coldly, lifting the glass to her lips, "I assumed you would visit me if you were coming to this world." 

Jäwell had a cocky expression as he thought again about the exciting fight he had with Tarim but his face changed quickly as he saw her seriousness.

"I need you to help me. It is important," he insisted.

Zuline shook her head, "I will not help you to get rid of your powers only to go and risk your life like a mortal. Jäwell, this is a dumb idea."

"What should I do to convince you?" The prince tried puppy eyes. 

The situation was hilarious and she could not contain her laughter any longer. Jäwell smiled before adding, "I still make you laugh at least."

"You always have been the only one for this," she answered directly. 

Jäwell would usually have no issues trying to be closer to a woman, but with her, he was always a bit unsure of himself. At this moment he thought about taking her hand in his, he wanted it. He looked at her long fingers, remembering the feeling of them when intertwined, he moved a bit his arm in her direction before changing his mind and grabbing his glass instead. Zuline didn't see anything, and they both finished their glass in silence, Jäwell didn't bring back the conversation about his request immediately, Zuline took a deep breath and stood up. "Come with me."

Jäwell nodded and followed her obediently. They left the camp in the deep of the eternal night and walked into the desert. The deadly cold would have taken them if they had been human, she continued like it was her element. She was not even throwing an eye in his direction. 

As he was behind her, he observed her way to move in the sand, her hooves were not made for such a floor, yet, she was moving with ease and grace, as if she had done this all her life. Her tall and slim figure was sliding in the shadows, between the rocks, following a path she was the only one to know. 

Soon, he could not hear the people in the camp cheering and partying anymore, nor could he see the fireplace. Everything around was only about absolute darkness. Sometimes, a few curious little animals dared to come closer to spy on them before running away as fast as they came. 

Predators were not approaching the Jessadians, the local fauna knew that the tribe was made of hunters and they were taking their distances. Jäwell was in awe of this explosion of new scents and sensations. The fact of walking for so long in the cold sand in the night of the desert was something he never experienced. A chill ran down his spine and he was excited to know where she was leading him. 

In front of his amazed eyes, her figure in the white dress was a view to behold. Her long hair was floating in the soft breeze and her forms appeared more clearly now. She climbed a little hill and waited for him on the top of it. He could swear he perceived the real size of her horns in a contrast of shades. Zuline always covered them with shadows to hide them from the eyes of everyone, only a few people knew how long her horns were and even fewer persons were still alive to talk about it. Jäwell instinctively placed a hand on his stomach as he remembered perfectly the feeling of being impaled with them when she was mad. 

The prince joined her on the top of the hill and he had an astonishing view over the desert, including the tremendous entrance of an underground cave. The hole on the ground was similar to a fissure made by a giant worm, directly breaking the earth to reach the center of the planet. If there was an entrance to the world of the damned in the books and legends, it could be this one. 

Zuline walked in its direction and the air lost many degrees as they came closer. A cold and smooth wind rose and froze their bones to the point of being painful but the movement of the air had something terrific. It was extremely regular. Jäwell turned his head in the direction of Zuline, asking for confirmation that they were going where he thought, she simply nodded and continued her walk to the entrance of this particular giant grotto. 

Their trip took a few more hours, going down was incredibly hard and longer than expected. The air was missing more and more and it was always colder after each step. Jäwell even had to stop at some point to break a plaque of ice forming over his right foot. To add to it, when they arrived deep inside the bowels of the earth, humidity could be felt, making the feeling of cold unbearable. 

Suddenly, Zuline stopped and placed a hand on Jäwell's chest. She lowered her head and whispered, "I can't go further." 

Jäwell was surprised but he didn't say anything, he followed the rest of the path alone. The sand was sliding and hard to walk on but he managed to reach the bottom in two hours. 

In front of him was a flat surface breathtaking. The floor was made of glass, slightly reflecting the ceiling of the grotto representing a galaxy and its numerous stars. Jäwell looked at it for a moment with admiration, before he realized that the wind was coming from above. 

He took a step back and tried to search for the anomalies on the ceiling. As he scanned his surroundings with his eyes, Clyss left the wall and climbed down. The giant dragon of shadows changed a lot since the last time he met the prince. Jäwell looked at him in awe, two hundred years had passed and the young one became an adult. If he already was incredibly large back in time, now, he had doubled in size. 

The galaxy covering his neck and chest was twice as big as it was and with it, his power. Jäwell couldn't believe it but at the same time, he was incredibly proud of the creature he made with Zuline. Clyss was simply fantastic, as he landed in front of Jäwell, the dragon opened his eyes slowly. Jäwell had a sensation of vertigo while looking into Clyss' eyes. They were windows to another world, another galaxy, or another dimension. No one knew and no one would ever know except for Clyss himself. The dragon developed an incredible knowledge, he was connected to the shadows of the seven worlds and the in-between. He could hear and see everything, everywhere, and whenever he wanted. Clyss heard every whisper.

Jäwell took a step in his direction and placed a hand on the dragon's nostrils with pride, "You grew up."

Clyss took a deep breath and his voice magically resonated in the cavern in an unreal and powerful way, "I knew you would come back, Father"

The prince winced a bit as he heard the word in F but he tried to not pay too much attention. 

The dragon laid his gigantic head to be able to see him in the eyes and Jäwell caressed his head softly, "I should have come before."

Clyss blew up some air, "You should have, but the Jessadians provide me with great care. I read stories to the children often and I have great moments."Jäwell sat, leaning his back to Clyss.

"Do you like it here?" Jäwell asked curiously, but the dragon shook his head. "There is no there, here, left or right. Not for me. I am lost, father. I am lost in my own eyes, and I am scared."