Home

"Haaaa." A long sigh left Ria's mouth as she watched the grand spectacle becoming larger and larger in her eyes.

When she thought of all she's been through up until now to get to this point, she felt melancholic.

In the past two weeks, Ria and Fallios had been training every single day to get stronger. Both of them were already half a year old and were extremely large.

It was to the point where Arlitos had to buy a bigger carriage for them, making Turro, their coachman have an ugly face as he watched the old carriage be traded away for the new one.

The one with seemingly the most gains was Fallios. His wings grow stronger every day, and he is now able to hold himself up a few inches off the ground.

Although it doesn't seem like much at first glance, those few inches mean he can easily glide if he was ever in a situation where he was falling.

As for Ria, she could blast water jets powerful enough to leave a large gash on a person. Fallios still couldn't use his abilities because of his ability blocking collar, but it was clear he was at least as strong as her.

As she thought of how powerful Fallios was compared to her, Ria became depressed. Sure, she grew as fast as him and could shoot water jets, but Fallios still took the lead.

After all, a flying fire-breathing dragon seemed a lot more powerful compared to a beached tortoise with water-breathing abilities.

After she thought of all of that, the scene in front of her only grew larger and larger each second.

It was a palace. They travelled for hours through a forest and saw a palace. It somehow seemed to blend in with the forest even though the gold and white of the palace starkly contrasted the greenery all around it.

Arlitos lightly smiled as he looked at her and Fallios. "Welcome home." He said, swinging his legs as he peered out the window with Ria.

[Home..] Somehow, hearing that word made Ria's throat heat up. Six months- no, even longer than that. Ria thought of her mother, who lived alone in an empty house.

She moved out when she was twenty. Her father died when she was only six, so it was only her mother living in that house since she was an only child.

When was the last time she went home? Not her old, shabby one-bedroom apartment, but the home she had grown up in since she was a kid?

She couldn't remember. Her claws dug deep into the floorboards and she clenched her jaw shut tightly.

[Ria?] Fallios worriedly asked. He spotted the abnormality in her within seconds and nudged her to check if she was okay.

She retracted her claws and buried her head under Fallios's chin. Ria let out a breath which felt hot on her tongue. Sometimes, she wished she had the ability to cry.

Fallios silently wrapped himself tighter around her as she let out silent gasps. He bit his tongue and lowered his eyes.

Sometimes, words weren't always needed to convey what a person wants to say.

I want to go home.

-

"Let's go." Arlitos said after the carriage came to a stop. He opened to door and picked up a floorboard, which wasn't fully attached to the carriage and pushed it out of the carriage to create a ramp.

Ria silently walked out the carriage and down the ramp with Fallios walking out not far behind her.

A dull crunch sounded beneath her feet as she stepped onto the grass and looked up at her surroundings.

It seemed like they went around the front of the palace and got off at the side of the building instead. There was no grand door or any servants or maids to greet her, not like she expected it anyways.

By now, it was pretty clear who Arlitos was just by the sheer size of the palace. Her feelings towards the person Arlitos was were supposed to be more than what she was feeling right now, but she wasn't in the mood.

In contrast, Fallios had a bigger reaction than her. His mouth was slightly parted as he looked around in amazement.

[So this is where we'll live?] He asked as he took in a panoramic view, admiring the sheer size of the building for a full minute.

Fallios turned to look at Arlitos in surprise. [So he is some sort of royalty?] He really didn't expect that. The irony of the situation made him scoff.

Suddenly, Fallios looked as if he realized something. He looked back at the palace in a panic.

His expression withered within mere moments like a deflated balloon. [We won't be able to go inside anymore when we grow bigger] He mumbled.

Arlitos gestured for them to follow him as he slowly led them into the palace.

Ria looked around with light curiosity. The halls were all clean with complex decorations lining every corner and pillar.

Every single person she walked by had black and white clothes on, likely maids and servants. They all had wide eyes or expressions of shock as the reptile duo passed by.

"Please make way for us." Arlitos said with a polite smile at the maids and servants who still hadn't moved to the side because of their shock.

"Ah." One of the maids made a weird sound as they moved to the side, her eyes still glued to the two who slowly walked side-by-side through the hallway.

[I don't like it] Ria said in a low voice. It reminded her of the time when she was still a baby tortoise, surrounded by countless pairs of eyes which poked into her until the customers, one-by-one, were all driven away by her high price tag.

Fallios tensed as he felt the air around Ria becoming hotter. In a panic, he unfurled his wings and crouched to the ground, glaring at the various maids and servants threateningly as he let out a long hiss.

"Ah!" One of the maids let out a shriek and stepped back in fear, holding her hands close to her chest with a pale face.

Shocked, Arlitos turned around and looked at Fallios. "What are you doin-" Suddenly, he felt the heat coming off of Ria and he came to an understanding.

Right now, the most dangerous one wasn't Fallios, but Ria. The area around Ria trembled as the heat distorted his vision. Fallios anxiously looked up at Arlitos and loud out a loud hiss.

To others, it may have looked like Fallios was about to leap at Arlitos, but to the person in question, it was more like a call for help.

Ria's limbs slowly retracted into her shell. It was as if she was a cornered animal. Arlitos was at a loss. It wasn't like he was going to fight Ria to make her stop.

Pressing his lips together, his face suddenly turned serious as he looked around at the maids and servants.

"All of you, get out of our sight. Now." He ordered.