18

I let the others go to bed before me this time. Jax was still fairly dazed. Savannah had started doing the exercises regularly as well. She was better at using fire then I was. I made sure they were all asleep before drifting off myself.

I would wake up before them either way. I sighed as I laid down on the cement. Settling in for the night. My wings twitched as I fell asleep. I found myself in the inner world once again.

Regala was playing with the elements using her fingers. It looked like she was recreating some sort of puzzle with ice.

"Are you always aware in here?" I sat up so I was sitting like a dog.

"No," She started trying to fit the pieces of her ice puzzle together, "For me it feels almost as if no time has passed at all since the last time we talked."

"I don't feel like doing mental exercises today," I tapped the tip of my tail on the ground, "Could you tell me more about the difference between an affinity, fusion, and domination? Maybe it will help me understand them better."

"An affinity is the ability to transform mana outside of your body to an element you know," she created a golden thread of light mana.

It trailed from the tip of her finger, and then formed a flame at the tip before flashing through all the different elements except for gravity, space, and time.

"Fusion is the ability to transform mana into the element before it leaves your body," the veins within her hands lit up with a red glow before her hand became engulfed in flames, "The main benefit of fusion isn't just a lowered mana cost. It's also the casting speed. If you already have the element within you, you do not have to create the element. You can just use that element at will."

I cocked my head since this interested me.

"Domination not only allows you to use mana the same way fusion does," Regala smiled, "All mana within your area of effect that is even slightly attuned to your element falls under your control. This applies to overlapping elements as well. The more elements you have domination over the more natural mana you have control over."

"And the less my enemies can use against me," I nodded with a slight smile.

Domination is bad ass. I thought to myself. I was excited about what I would be able to do once I advanced even a single one of my elements that far. If I managed to do it to multiple then I'd be able to completely control the natural mana around me.

"Your affinities are advancing quickly," Regala smiled at me, "You should be able to fuse with at least two of them fairly soon."

I didn't think she was sensing that correctly. I was only close to one that I could tell from looking at my elements, but I was past the halfway point on multiple elements so that could be messing up her senses. Water would be the next element I fused with. I didn't bother correcting her though. It was hard to tell how she was doing.

She wasn't a full living being so she didn't have a body to check over. I didn't want her to pass from this world yet, but I didn't really have a choice. She wouldn't be able to reveal all she'd experienced in her lifetime before she faded.

"Why don't you tell me more about your past?" I'd already shortened the amount of time I would be in the inner world tonight, but I would still be here for a little while, "You have to have done some crazy stuff in your time."

"I would love to tell you more," her face turned serious, "But I honestly can't remember much beyond the final year. I spent most of that time planning out what aids I could leave you. Not reminiscing about the past. The oldest memory I have is of sealing off the portals." she looked down almost guiltily, "That they were too arrogant. That the future they would bring would be a dark one."

"That's not very helpful," I frowned, "I wanted to hear something interesting."

"My past doesn't matter," Regala brushed me off, "Only the future matters."

"History tends to repeat itself," I shrugged, "It would be nice to know what to expect."

"Yet the path you walk is already different then any dragon before you," she smiled as she drew her eyes up, "You hold poison within your jaws. That's something no dragon has been able to do before. None tried to do what you intent to do. Fritoria's aversion to bonding to humans tells me that being bonded wasn't a common thing."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," I chuckled.

"I tended to use my raw power to motivate," She shrugged, "Having the most powerful dragon at your back was all the motivation my allies needed."

My tail thumped on the ground. I could understand that. My power alone had motivated Ethan to attack enemies much stronger then himself. Savannah, and Jax were bolder as well. They didn't rely on me nearly as much as Ethan did, but I imagined that they eventually would given enough time.

I felt that our two races needed each other in some way to be complete. I didn't think I was the only one that felt that way until now. Well maybe Ethan felt that way too, but he was majorly mentally damaged. His mentality wasn't average. I couldn't use him as a baseline.

I woke up. It was a bit physically jolting to wake up when you felt as though you were already awake. I sat up, and yawned. I walked to the warehouse door, and debated on going out again. I tapped on the door.

I opened the warehouse door when I noticed the mana fluctuations of Vincent the earth great. I stepped through the doors calmly, and allowed my eyes to lock onto him. I wasn't trying to stun or paralyze him right now.

"And what are you doing here?" I flicked my tail casually.