Preparations

Merlin went outside to rally up the dragons and have them find any creatures they could to help aid us in our mission. My parents went outside as well, searching through the rubble and debris to make sure nothing of value had appeared. I helped Aurelius put on his chain-mail and armor, adrenaline still coursing throughout my body, happy to see the human I loved breathing once more.

Aurelius sat upon the slab of stone, staring at the sword in his hands, eyebrows furrowed. He looked up at me, worry creasing his brow. "Do you really think I can do this?" He asked.

I smiled. "I believe it with all my heart." I whispered, laying my hand on top of his as it gripped the sword.

He gave me a small smile and I saw a gleam of hope returning to his eyes. Laying his other hand on top of mine he gave me a nod. "I'll have you by my side this time. With you I feel I could conquer the world."

We exchanged smiles briefly and then made our way outside to the others. Merlin and my parents stood before rows of dragons and griffins, Alati nearing the front. There were maybe twenty of them all together, and Merlin spoke to them in a tongue I could not recognize, which surprised me greatly for I knew most things from my time in hibernation.

My parents approached us and my father handed me a lightweight sword. "This sword is forged out of magic, so it will not hurt Nequior, but it will destroy his creature of darkness for it was made with light." He explained.

I nodded and took it in my hand, seeing how the glow from my own skin bounced off of the blade. Merlin soon joined us, dragons and griffins standing and ready for battle. Merlin had his own sword and was practically bouncing from foot to foot, eager to get this over with.

"All right." My father started. "Theres a tall mountain not too far from here, maybe a days journey. That will be where Nequior has chosen to reside. The place we were before was just one of a few prisons; where we are going will be crawling with Nequam because he now knows that we are coming to take back our land. You must make sure to move swiftly and quietly, and most importantly aim to kill with one shot, you may not get a second."

We then set out, but it was already beginning to grow dark and the fog was growing thicker, so we traveled until we found a decently sized crevice to take refuge in. Aurelius suggested we take turns keeping watch but Merlin insisted the dragons had us covered. Regardless Aurelius stayed awake anyway.

"You should try to sleep." I whispered over the snore of Merlin.

Aurelius shrugged. "I feel I have been sleeping for years."

"That's because you have." I retorted. "But you have to be rested for tomorrow, every second counts."

Aurelius smiled. "Yes, I am quite aware of my seconds." He arranged himself so that he could recline against the wall of the crevice. "Come here." He motioned, allowing me to rest next to him with his arm around my shoulders. "I will rest like this." He whispered. "Being sure that every second counts."

I turned my head towards his chest and took a deep breath, inhaling the earthly smells that still clung to his clothes. My mind drifted to the memories of our time on Earth and I thought through each second that we had spent together and fell asleep grateful for every last one of them.