Quinn found himself, once again, on the back of a dragon, flying quite some distance up in the air.
With the exception of the red fur in lieu of white, as Ruby had taken it upon herself to carry the young man instead of Nall, it felt pretty much the same. The dragon in question were flying just behind, keeping an eye on the patient as he sat on Ruby's back, keeping a good grip on her fur, but apparently lost in the experience of flight yet again. He had, much as the last time, obviously forgotten all about his condition right now. Nall chuckled to himself at the thought of it.
He wondered how Kodai would react to yet another person traveling to the Blue Star.
It had been almost a millennium since the last time, the time Hiro went to the spire and fought Kodai for the right of passage. Would Quinn have to do the same? He hoped not. Quinn was in no shape to fight him at his current state.
He had been surprised to hear that Ruby had actually praised his fighting skills, especially since Ruby rarely did that towards anyone. Apparently they had met a plantella in the forest, or so both she and Nina had told him. And when Ruby, misunderstanding the situation, had attacked the plantella, Quinn had defended the humanoid/plant hybrid. And he had done rather well, as she had told him while they camped on the outskirts of the forest that night, when the boy in question was fast asleep by the campfire, with Nina sleeping close by.
To see how close the two had become felt heartwarmingly familiar with them both. And they had spent the night allowing the memories of their adventures with their respective friends fill their hearts and minds again. Even now, as they flew towards the Star spire, Quinn placed on Ruby's back and Nina being held by Quinn--something she certainly didn't seem to mind--Nall couldn't help but smile.
But, as the spire was in full view now, he knew that the easy part was probably over. Neither of them really knew how welcome they would be in the Star Dragon's spire, not to mention the fact that they came because they had to go to the Blue Star. Considering what Ruby had told Nall from the time Hiro had gone there, it was one of the Star Dragon's biggest no-no's.
"Well, what do you think?" Nina asked Quinn, as they both looked at the spire from the base end, lit by the morning sun.
They had decided to set up camp as it had been pretty late when they arrived there and Quinn reassured the three others that he didn't think one day would make much of a difference, even with the increased frequency of his seizures taken into account. It would probably do him good with some rest anyway, he figured, as he had been getting slowly, but steadily, worse during the last days of travel, and the least he needed to be if he was going to face the Star Dragon, was being exhausted as well.
"It looks pretty amazing, doesn't it?" Quinn had seemed truly impressed with the place, mostly, as he stated, because of the power emanating from the place. Nina couldn't help but worry a little about that. She had, much to the protests of both Ruby and Nall, decided to go with him to the Blue Star, mostly because she, as she had told Quinn once, wanted to see him through this to the end. With that, Quinn and Nina had turned a pleading look towards the two parents of the latter, making their defenses and resolution crumble to dust. And, although neither Ruby or Nall showed it, they were secretly proud of their daughter.
Thus, the four of them started ascending the spire.
In doing so, they noticed a few things. The first thing was that neither the Blood Lords or the Hell Raisers--the ever present guardians, as appointed by the Star Dragon--were defending the place like they usually did. Oh, they were there, all right, but for now, at least, they were seemingly content with watching them. This was rather puzzling, as they usually defended the place against anyone, even the Dragon Tribe, with the greatest of vigor.
The second thing was that they were mostly looking at Quinn, almost to the point of watching him, and even moving aside if they were in the way. It was almost like he was expected, and, if that was the case, it came as a great relief to the four travelers, even though Quinn wasn't sure he felt reassured by it. Was the Star Dragon saving him for himself? He guessed he would find out when he reached the top.
And reach the top they did. As they met no resistance, something that puzzled Ruby the most, it was pretty much a breeze. Walking into the top chamber, they looked relieved, but still a bit tense. The room was, in appearance, empty, but that didn't mean the Star Dragon wasn't around. If Kodai didn't want to be seen, then they wouldn't notice him at all. That was the way he preferred it.
But, as they entered the crystal chamber, they noticed that this wasn't the case today. Kodai stood, imposing as ever, right beside the crystal, arms folded and wearing the same armor they had always seen him wear, face concealing helmet and all. It was impossible to see whether he was watching them, but in all probability, he was. What would happen now, was anybody's guess.
Before anyone could stop him, Quinn was approaching the Star Dragon.
Walking up to him, he bowed in a manner typical to the people from Horam, apparently showing his respect for the Star Dragon, even though he had most certainly never met him before. The Star Dragon himself had, as indicated from his slowly turned helmet, placed his attention on the approaching traveler. Ruby sent a silent prayer to Althena that, if nothing else, Kodai would go very easy on the boy.
But Kodai made no inclination about wanting to fight him, yet another thing adding itself to the long list of surprises the four visitors had received on their journey to the top floor. Gathering her courage, Nina flew up to Quinn, landing on his shoulder. And, as Kodai showed no interest in starting any conversation, Quinn decided it was probably best that he just stated his business with the Star Dragon.
"Honored Star Dragon," he began, bowing politely yet again, "I came here because I was told I needed to go to the Blue Star to find the cure for an ailment I have, one that no one on Lunar knows how to cure. I hope you will grant us passage."
The silence stretched for a while, and Quinn felt himself being observed by the Star Dragon. But, as he was about to speak more, the Star Dragon moved aside.
"I know," he spoke, his voice metallic, hollow and completely void of any emotion. "I know of your plight, Quinlan. You may enter the crystal."
The surprised look of the four visitors were so apparent and obvious that, had it been witnessed by anyone else, they would be sent into gales of laughter. But the Star Dragon didn't seem to show any reaction to it at all. When Nina finally regained her ability to speak, she blurted out: "Wow! I mean, I was afraid he would have to fight you..." Immediately, she regretted saying it, as she saw both her parents wince in a 'don't remind him' manner. And although the helmet the Star Dragon wore disguised his face completely, she could almost feel him turning his gaze towards her.
"No," the Star Dragon said, still no emotion evident in his voice. "We will not fight. Not now. You have other things that concerns you." He turned towards Quinn. "Are you ready for the truth, Quinlan? If you are, then enter the crystal. It is there, on the Blue Star. Lucia awaits you."
It would seem, Nall thought, that Kodai still had the ability to unnerve people. And what did he mean by "the truth"?
"However..." Kodai added, perhaps for the first time ever allowing some form of emotion color his words, "...we will get the opportunity to face each other in combat some other time. I look forward to that day." Both Quinn and Nina could have sworn that Kodai had sounded... well, pleased, perhaps with an ounce of smugness. She could almost feel him smirking behind the helmet.
"Uh... I want to go with him," Nina stated, somewhat nervously. "That's not going to be a problem, is it?"
"No," Kodai spoke, the lack of emotion back in full force. "You are sure it is what you want?"
"Yeah," Nina answered without a moment's hesitation. "I gave a promise that I would see this through to the end, so I am."
"Very well," Kodai said, indicating the crystal. "Now, enter the crystal."
Not wanting to try the Star Dragon's patience, they quickly complied. Walking up to the crystal, they could feel the magical energy building. Both of them experienced short bursts of panic, once when they were levitated up into the air and towards the crystal, and again, when they phased into the crystal itself. But they quickly settled when they found themselves okay (and able to breathe), although neither of them knew if they were ready for the experience of travelling such enormous distances in mere seconds. But they had little choice, especially now that they were placed inside the crystal.
And then, the crystal started to glow with a bright, green light.
The journey from the Star Spire to the Blue Star lasted for about ten seconds, but it felt so much longer.
Quinn and Nina had both fretted a little about it. They were, after all, going to travel a distance several times longer than they had traveled the last weeks, from the time they had met, and in such a short time at that. How would that feel?
And now they knew.
It was the most incredible feeling either of them had ever experienced, When the initial green light had subsided, they saw Lunar disappear at a rate that made them both dizzy. And looking up, they could see the Blue Star approach at the same speed. All this, they saw through the swirling light that made up the beam going between the two globes. As they reached the Blue Star and the light intensified yet again, signaling the end of the voyage, their minds were already racing to catch up.
It was two very overwhelmed beings who slowly levitated out from the crystal on the Blue Star.
As they sat on the floor in the crystal chamber, collecting their bearings, they noticed a man standing over at the doorway. He was wearing what looked like standard travelling clothes, blue in color. His head were covered with brown, slightly wild hair, but the most distinguishing part of his looks were the two green lines he had on his right cheek, which was probably tattoos. He was grinning, and his eyes shone with humor.
"That was one wild ride, wasn't it?"
"Uh..." Quinn was the first to find his voice this time, "Yes... We are... whoa... Are you... who are you?" His mind finally settled on a complete sentence, although his face still had problems deciding on an expression. Nina was still silent as she sat right beside him, front feet wide apart, trying to collect the rest of her balance.
"I'm the guy that's gonna take you to meet Lucia, but I guess I should give you some time to collect yourselves first. That journey really makes your head spin, I know. Just tell me when you are ready." His grin widened.
Lucia was wondering what was taking so long.
She had felt the crystal appearing several minutes ago, and she knew it wouldn't take them long to come to the room where she was waiting. If they didn't come soon, the food the two of them had prepared for their guests would get cold. She considered going out to get them, but the approaching sounds of footsteps signaled their arrival, making it unnecessary to do so. And in came the young man followed by the guide she had sent, but she hadn't expected them to be accompanied by a baby dragon. Lucia looked closer at the little dragon currently perched at the young man's shoulder. It looked a lot like Ruby, as she remembered her, except for the coloring and the lack of a yellow bow behind her head. Lucia was willing to bet that this had to be her daughter.
"Lucia?" the man said, indicating Quinn and Nina. "Your guests are here."
"Oh." Her mind returned from her thoughts. "Yes, thank you, Hiro." She gave him one of the warmest smiles Quinn had ever seen, and then she turned to the two visitors, who, by now, had eyes as wide as the Blue Star itself.
"Hiro?" Quinn stuttered. "You mean..."
"Yes, yes," the man said, rolling his eyes, but never losing the grin. "I'm the guy who helped defeat Zophar and all that. Jeez. They are never going to forget that, are they?"
"Now, now, dear?" Lucia said, walking over to Hiro, prompting him to put one of his arms around her waist, "While you have every right to feel proud of your accomplishments, we should save the storytelling for later. Right now, our guests need a little rest and some food." She indicated the table. "Please, help yourselves. I've been working on that for a while, and I think that after several hundred years under Hiro's tutelage, it should taste pretty good." Hiro chuckled, but the joke was lost on the two others, though at least they were staring at the table now instead of at Hiro. Not quite sure of whether they heard, Lucia repeated her offer.
"You didn't have to..." Quinn finally managed to say. "I mean, all this." He indicated the food.
"Nonsense," Lucia answered, sounding all the more serious. "You will need to be at your fullest strength, Quinlan, for what awaits you..."
Lucia looked over at Hiro, who himself nodded, as if he knew what was going on. Turning back to Quinn, she said: "Please, just sit and eat. You could use the rest, too. I can see that you've been through a lot coming here, and..." She sighed, walking over to Quinn. Taking a hold of his shoulders, she led him towards the table and made him take a chair.
"I don't understand," Quinn said. "I came here to be cured, and because Ghaleon said that you could help me."
"And I will help you," Lucia replied. "But first you need some rest and some nourishment."
Quinn looked at Nina, who had jumped down onto the table, and was looking back at him. "I... I guess she is right, Quinn." She put one of her front paws on top of his hand, as if to help him to relax, "Besides," she said, smiling. "We're here now. What's a couple of minutes going to do now?"
Sighing once, Quinn nodded, returning her smile. Then, he turned to Lucia. "Very well. I guess you know best. Please forgive my rudeness,"
"Not at all, Quinlan. You've been through a lot lately, but you're here now and I will give you all the help that I can." Lucia gave him a reassuring smile.
"Thank you." He felt a little better.
Then, they all turned to the food.
As dinner was coming to an end, Quinn felt much better.
They had also gotten a chance to ask the two hosts about a few things, including an explanation of how Hiro still was alive, that being simply that Lucia was halting his aging process with her powers. Hiro had once inquired whether she had the ability to do so, and when he had gotten the answer, he had asked her if she would do it. Then, she continued with how the resurrection of the Blue Star was coming along. Apparently, Lucia had been bringing over a lot of the wildlife to the Blue Star, via the Blue Spire, so that a new circle of life could start. (And it also explained where the raw materials for the feast came from.) By now, they had quite a thriving natural habitat filled with most of the species of animals from Lunar living on the Blue Star, making up for the complete lack of humanoids. It couldn't be helped, though. The Blue Star wasn't quite ready for the big move, as not all of the Blue Star was revived yet.
But, as Lucia stated, she had Hiro there, and would therefor never feel completely alone anymore. In fact, his presence had made the last 900 years go by much faster than she thought it would. They had also decided that, when the Blue Star was ready, and the humanoids, beasts and humans both, had moved there, both Lucia and Hiro would be reborn as humans, like Althena had chosen to do about two thousand years ago. Well, Hiro was, in a sense, still a human, but he had stated that if that was what Lucia would do, then he would do the same.
Then, they noticed that neither Quinn or Nina was eating anymore.
"Are you finished, Quinlan?" Lucia asked the young man as she rose up from her seat. Quinn promptly followed suit.
"Yes!" he said. "And please call me Quinn. I prefer it like that."
"Very well... Quinn," she said, leading the two visitors through a hallway into a great, big hall. "Now..." she said, getting Quinn's attention, "...there is something I have to tell you, something that will change your life forever. Are you ready for the truth, Quinn? You have to accept it, if you want to survive."
"What is this?" Quinn asked, clearly not liking the turn of events. "I don't understand. Can't I be cured?"
Lucia hesitated, looking at the young man with concern and sympathy. She sighed.
"You are not ill, Quinn. You have to understand that the reason for your seizures are borne from the fact that you are repressing your dragon aura." At the gasps coming from both Quinn and Nina, she continued, "Yes, Quinn. You are a member of the Dragon Tribe."
Nall jumped to his feet and started pacing.
Ruby looked at him. She wanted to say something, but she wasn't quite sure what to say. They had both been left alone in the Star Spire crystal chamber, as the Star Dragon headed off to parts unknown. As they had both decided to wait for the two travelers, they found themselves having spent several hours up there and absolutely no sign of a returning crystal. Nall was, obviously, the first to lose his patience to his worries.
He hoped that nothing bad had happened, and that he wouldn't have to console a crushed Nina returning alone.
Looking at Ruby, he noticed her concerned look, so he returned to sit beside her. She leaned over against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I hope everything is okay up there," he said, his voice low. Ruby nodded her agreement, but said nothing.
"I'm a... dragon?" Quinn asked, clearly having trouble accepting the fact given to him by Lucia, "You... you can't be serious."
"I don't think she had you brought to the Blue Star, just so she could tell you a joke, Quinn," Nina commented, though it had been mostly on reflex. Her mind was reeling unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She just kept staring at him, hoping that he could provide her with an answer. Judging from his vacant stare, there was none to be had.
"I do not know what this is all about," Lucia stated, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But I can feel your aura, as you stand beside me. It is gathering strength for another attempt at release. And you have to accept it. This is the truth, Quinn. If you do not accept your aura, you will not survive." She sighed again. "I am happy that you made it here, Quinn. As the only guardian left of the goddess tribe, I have the ability to summon the dragons, so I know their magic aura well. And, Quinn..." she looked him straight into his eyes, "I know that you are, indeed, a white dragon."
Quinn was unable to speak. What scared him the most was the words he remember having heard from Nall in Meribia. They repeated themselves inside his mind again and again.
We never found the body. Much as we would have disliked to find a little dragon corpse, we never found the body.
Quinn shuddered. It made no sense. That couldn't have been him. It just couldn't. But as he looked into Lucia's eyes, he found nothing but the truth, and it told him of the cause of his soul's turmoil.
He closed his eyes and turned his head to the ground, and his shivering stopped. He inhaled deeply, held it for a couple of seconds, then let it out.
Then, he opened his eyes.
"Do you understand now?" Lucia asked.
"No..." Quinn said. Nina couldn't judge his mood, and she guessed she couldn't blame him. She had problems accepting the facts herself, but she knew that Lucia never lied. "But..." Quinn continued, stopping Nina's further thoughts for the time being, "...I believe you. It will be a while until I can accept all this and what it brings, but if you say that I am..." He couldn't finish the sentence, nor say out loud the acknowledgement it brought. But he nodded, his mind made up.
"Tell me what I must do!"
The relieved smile that appeared on Lucia's face almost made Quinn smile himself.
"I am going to release your aura, Quinn. And when I do, you have to accept it. If you fight it, it will kill you." Lucia winced at her harsh words, but Quinn needed to hear the truth. She just hoped he understood what he needed to do. As an afterthought, she added, "I don't know what you did as you had your 'seizures', but you must not do that, not even for a fraction of a heartbeat. You must let the magic aura you possess take its place in your soul, not fight it, as you have done up until now. That is all the help I can give. The rest is up to you."
As Quinn silently accepted the weight of his burden, Nina flew up to him.
"Will you be all right, Quinn?" She didn't land on his shoulder, but hovered in front of his face instead. She looked like she was on the verge of crying. "If... *sniffle* ...if I could only be of help to you, Quinn, I would. I hate it when I can't do a thing. If only I had received my aura, I could have helped you." As she looked at him, she could see his expression turn to one of surprise.
Then, he smiled.
"You already have, Nina." He straightened up, stretching himself to his full height for a while. "I'm going to survive this. I promise." With that, he turned to Lucia, determination coloring his features.
"I am ready."
"Are you sure?" Lucia asked, "Because once I start it, it can not be stopped. And, as I said, if you fight it..."
"There's no point in waiting anymore. If I am not ready now, I will never be ready. Please, Lucia. Do what you have to."
Sighing, Lucia went over, and put her hand on his forehead. As her hand started to glow, Quinn looked back at Nina, giving her a reassuring smile.
Then, he dropped limply to the ground.
The blackness was, once again, surrounding him.
He saw nothing, he heard nothing, and, worst of all, he felt nothing but the nagging fear deep in his soul. This was where he would face himself. He didn't know what to expect, which gave him no time to prepare for anything unexpected.
He hated that.
Especially now, when the price for failure was so high. Quinn wanted to live. He wanted to face his destiny, whatever it might be and whatever he might become.
He was a dragon. A dragon.
Even now he could see the light appear, far away into the distance, but coming towards him again, as it had done when he had been in the illusion woods. But, this time, he couldn't run away, as it would mean his end.
The light had approached him now, and Quinn could see that it looked like a cat with wings, much like Nina, but male. It glowed with a white light, and it looked at him expectantly. Then it spoke.
Accept me!
It spoke with two voices, one light as a newborn child's and the other deep and rumbling as the mountains themselves.
"Who are you? What are you?" Quinn asked, although he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.
As the glowing form flew a little closer, it started shining a little brighter, and Quinn felt a knot forming in his stomach. It flew in a circle around him, studying him, or so Quinn felt. It made Quinn's heart pound. Then, the glowing being settled in front of his face again, and it spoke once more, its voice coming from all around him.
I am you. I am what you are.
It continued looking at him, and Quinn could feel it looking straight into his very soul.
Accept me!
Quinn still didn't quite know what, or how, to do it. But, unless he wanted to perish, he had to try. He slowly stretched a trembling hand towards the glowing form, and closed his eyes, trying his best to accept what was happening.
The light intensified, and it enveloped him completely.
Nina had started panicking as soon as she saw Quinn drop to the ground. It was only when she could see that he was still breathing that she settled down as best she could.
But even so, the minutes stretched out to what felt like hours, with Quinn not moving at all. She hoped--and she prayed --that he would be alright. Lucia didn't look like she knew what was going on, which didn't make things any better, but she didn't dare to ask, in fear that she wouldn't like the answer. So, she started pacing instead. It was only when she could hear a scuffling sound coming from where Quinn had dropped to the ground, that she stopped. Words could hardly describe the relief she felt when she saw Quinn get up to his feet.
But something was not quite right.
She walked a little closer to him. He was standing, not focusing at anything, it seemed like. He was also sweating, and his breath was coming out in ragged gasps.
"Quinn?"
"You should keep your distance." Lucia warned her. "He is going to change."
By now, Quinn had started hyperventilating, and he hunched up, clamping his arms around himself.
"Change?" Nina inquired, but didn't get to say anymore as Hiro picked her up, carrying her away from the heaving Quinn, much to her protests.
"What are you doing?" she yelled.
"Give him some space," Hiro stated, indicating Quinn, who by now had closed his eyes and was shaking like crazy.
With a grunt coming from his direction, a bright, white aura not as much appeared as exploded around him, and it grew in such an intensity that the others had to shield their eyes from it.
And he screamed.
It was a scream filled with surprise and fear, and it spoke in volumes of the pain Quinn had to be in.
And then, it deepened.
The change was nothing less than terrifying. What had been a scream, was now changing slowly into a deep roar that rang loudly into Nina's ears, making her want to cover them with her paws. The roar seemed to last forever, much like everything else in the last, few minutes since Quinn had accepted his destiny and asked Lucia to awaken his aura, and it drove Nina almost crazy with anxiety. But, at last, she could hear the roar subside, and feel the light disappear.
All that was left was to gather the courage to open her eyes. She wondered what he looked like now.
She opened one of her eyes, barely, squinting. And then, both. Wide. Was... was that Quinn? She looked at the form that was hovering over the floor, slowly settling down on it. It was that of an adult dragon. A big adult dragon, wings spread out slightly, slowly settling on the ground just as he himself had seconds earlier, but far gentler than when the human form she remembered had dropped to the same ground like a rock. She also noticed that he was covered in fur, white as snow, the feathers on his wings just as white. Nina could feel a lump in her throat.
He was lying so still.
She barely noticed that Hiro let her go, but as soon as he did, Nina flew over to the enormous frame of what was Quinn's newborn form.
"Quinn?" She swallowed the lump, and tried to stop herself from panicking.
He didn't move at all.
"What's the matter, Shin?"
Shin stopped looking at the Blue Star, and turned towards the female voice he heard.
"Nothing. I was just... thinking... about a friend."
"I see. Anyone I've heard of?" She looked up at him, tipping her head curiously.
"Yes." He frowned. "He did drop by somewhat unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago. But he was in such a rush, I guess I never got the chance to introduce them to you."
"Them?"
"Yes, he was traveling with... a little dragon, if I remember correctly."
"Really?" the woman spoke, her voice sounding curious, almost giddy. "I've never seen a dragon before. Oh, but I'd love the opportunity to paint one."
"Might be a while until they come again, though." Shin sounded a bit distant.
"What's wrong?"
"Perhaps I should have gone with him. He did offer me the opportunity." He looked at her.
"Then, why didn't you?"
"Because I already had an appointment with someone, I guess."
She smiled at him, and they remained silent for a while.
"So... who was it?"
"What?"
"Who was that friend?"
Shin frowned again.
Gowan was sitting out on the porch, smoking his pipe, as he usually did when he was thinking.
He did, once again, wonder about how Quinn fared. He had just barely noticed the blue streak of light coming from the south, indicating that someone had traveled to the Blue Star. But it came as a great relief, as it indicated that Quinn had, if nothing else, reached his destination.
Now, if he could just find his cure.
He thought a little about the day two of the dragons of Althena had been to their house. And the more he thought about it, the more sure he became that they were hiding something. Did they know? No one had been making any inquiry about the boy when...
He sighed. Perhaps they should tell him when--or if--he returned.
Jenna had seen the streak of light indicating the passage to the Blue Star much more clearly.
Thus, she had spent the last hours thinking about what had happened the last couple of days. With the meeting of the two, the young man and the little dragon, she had rekindled her curiosity about the outside world. And that had not happened since the time she had traveled far to the north, and her first meeting with humans other than her grandpa.
It had not gone very well that time. Humans despised her, she thought then, as she felt she had every right to do, considering their reaction to her that time. They had chased her away, almost killing her in the process. Grandpa had told her that not all people were like that, but she had a hard time believing it.
...until just recently.
If he ever returned, perhaps she could ask him to go with her. He had said he would return to visit her, and she had felt that he was sincere in his offer.
It had felt very nice to be accepted for what she was.
The sound of air being inhaled sounded to Nina like a great, big and loud roar of victory. She could hardly stop herself from cheering.
As the seconds-that-felt-like-hours, with Quinn not moving at all, Nina, as well as Hiro and Lucia, had feared the worst. In the end, however, he had not only reached his destination, but he had confronted the truth and accepted his new life, the latter indicated by his new form.
Any further thoughts were halted momentarily, when one of Quinn's eyes opened. Then, the other followed suit. And then, his head rose up, wavering a little in the process. With a deep grunt, he rose up on his feet, which was now numbering a total of four. His wings folded themselves -- reflexively, Nina guessed -- on his back, as they were supposed to do. His tail twitched nervously as he blinked his eyes to regain his vision and shook his head to wake up fully.
His head was, she noticed, slightly shorter--or perhaps more powerfully built--than her father's, its snout shorter and thicker. It came attached to a neck that was coiled to allow his head to be held up high. His eyes, now wide open, was a light color of blue, much like his human form. And he had an expression of pure confusion as he looked down at them. Nina took to her wings, flying up to his head.
"How do you feel?" If she was concerned, it was hidden behind the wonder in her voice.
"I feel so strange..." His voice, as it trailed off, was deep and rumbling, as to be expected from a fully grown dragon, "You've gotten so small all of you."
"No..." Nina chuckled. "It's you who've gotten very big."
"I'm... what?" Quinn sounded confused. He turned his head slowly backwards, took a good look at his new self and turned his head to the front again, very quickly. His eyes were wide open. "I'm... I've changed."
"Well, yeah. I thought you knew. Lucia did tell you, after all."
"I know, I know, I know," Quinn said, shutting his eyes tight. "I just didn't expect the change to be so..."
"So ...what?" Nina inquired. She got no immediate answer. Not from Quinn at least.
"Don't stress him. He has gone through a lot, and he also has a lot to accept." She turned to Quinn. "Do you want me to help you return to your human form for now?"
The answer came quickly.
"Yes, please."
As the evening came closer, Nina found Quinn sitting outside at one of the plateaus that surrounded the gigantic tower they were residing in.
She could still not read anything out of his expression. He had, after the initial change brought about from his awakening, spent some time in thought, and then, he had asked Lucia to assist him in practicing his shape changes. And when he felt secure in his ability to change between his forms at will, he had asked for some time alone, to which he had probably arrived here. She hoped she wasn't intruding.
"Hello, Nina."
She started at his voice. She could have sworn it had changed a little since before his arrival here. It sounded more... well, mature. As she looked at him, she could also swear that he had, himself, changed. Some of the softness in his features had disappeared -- become more sharpened, pronounced -- making him look more adult. She had a hard time making her voice be heard.
"I'm... not interrupting you, am I?"
"No, not at all." He was smiling, but more or less sadly, which she wasn't sure what to make of.
"Are you all right?" She flew below his face, looking up at him. "Do you have any regrets about... it?"
He looked thoughtful for a while. "No!" he suddenly stated. "I guess what I... am... doesn't matter, right? I still feel like the same person I was before, even when I..."
As he didn't finish the sentence, something he had been doing a lot of today, Nina did it for him, "...had changed?" She giggled. "I know! You looked so confused." This did, finally, earn her a chuckle from the deep-in-thoughts Quinn.
"Well..." Nina continued. "What shall we do now, then?"
"I don't know," Quinn said, his smile disappearing, "That's what I was trying to figure out just now. I don't know if I can go back and face my grandparents..." He frowned, and amended his statement. "No, the people I thought were my grandparents, again."
"I see." Nina finally understood why Quinn had been looking so miserable.
"Did they know?" He turned so suddenly towards her that she flew back instinctively. "Did they find a little, winged kitten in the woods one day, and stole me for themselves? And who changed me? I have no other memories of myself other than of me as a human boy. How..." He swallowed. "...How can I face them again, now that I know they're not my real grandparents, and that... that..."
Puzzled at the way he trailed off, she turned her head towards him again, and looked into a pair of widening eyes. Then, he jumped to his feet with the speed of an arrow.
"We need to go back to Lunar. Now!" He sounded almost giddy, something that confused Nina greatly.
"What? Why now?"
Quinn didn't say anything, but he headed towards the entrance, almost running. Nina just sighed and followed him. It would be a couple of minutes until they reached even just the gate leading inside the gigantic tower, and she was dying to know what had prompted this sudden change in his mood.
"Quinn, wait up!"
He stopped, allowing the little, flying creature to catch up with him. Then, they both continued.
Hiro looked well and truly puzzled.
Quinn had, just a moment ago, rushed in and begged Lucia to send them back to Lunar right that instant. They had been so surprised at the eagerness in his expression as well as his voice that they had completely forgotten to ask why he had to go back so instantly. And now, indicated by the magical residue left by the departed crystal, they were on their way.
He looked over at Lucia, who was smiling. While he never tired of the sight of it, it didn't provide him with any answers.
"What was that all about?"
"Oh, Hiro. Isn't it wonderful? He's going home."
"But that doesn't explain why he looked so eager. I mean, he has lived on Lunar his entire life, and probably seen the most of it too."
"No, no." Lucia shook her head. "He's going to meet his family."
Lucia looked at the confused Hiro, and saw as the sudden realization hit him.
"Oh. I see." He nodded, grinning. Lucia laughed.
"Well, then," he said, looking up to the roof, as if he could look through it, and onto Lunar itself. He rose the glass he had been holding the whole time.
"The best of luck to you, Quinn. May your new life be full of happiness."