In the past couple of times of sleep, Alexx had not dreamed. This time was no different. Another moment's rest passed without an image or a thought. As his eyes opened to another moment alive, he could not imagine what to expect.

  The moment of dread had passed however, in favor of peculiarity. Alexx searched for any memory of what happened that would lead him here.

  From the mouth of a cave, he could look out over a forest spreading out from the foot of the mountain to the far hills where a windmill rose above the treescape. The sky was a gray overcast, with no black clouds in sight. Even the tower graveyard was missing.

  Wherever he was, he had escaped the reach of Senkazital. The feeling of Rediew seeming its former self gave Alexx the sense that everything was okay. No animals skittered in the distant trees, no people chattered, and no rain dripped onto the rocks. Only the wind pushing the treetops, just enough to be noticed. Alexx remembered the cloudy days aboard his ship; how he wished he were there. It was a pleasant feeling.

  He also had a sense of thirst.

  Alexx had no strength to stand or sit up. Everything ached save for his hands. The ring he stole was still working its magic, though just as slowly as before. Inside of the cavern there was a peculiar man collapsed further in. He was completely bare of all clothing, heavily scarred and tattooed with magic inscriptions, and had a head of dark hair.

  "Hey, buddy," Alexx strained. His voice was too frail. The man failed to respond, or give any sign of being awake or alive. His back rose and fell however, so the pirate ruled out death.

  In thinking of death, he remembered Makido. Then it all came back to him. He was flying away on the back of a dragon, Makido had the holy sword that belonged to Trandin. The only way he got that was by killing him. But they got away safely, and somehow Silas fell off during the flight. Oh! Alexx remembered, And then the dragon crashed here! He recalled the mound he now stood on was the spot the dragon was falling. It stopped flapping and holding its composure altogether. In fact the cavern is the result of the dragon crashing down.

  The dragon! Alexx's eyes opened wide. It's gone! And Silas is gone too!

  The excitement was too much to contain, and Alexx laughed triumphantly. The man behind him began to stir and groan.

  "Hey, you're awake," Alexx said, but there was no reply. The man kept his back to the pirate as he stretched and rubbed his body, growling.

  "I've been there," Alexx said, thinking about hangovers, "Just walk it off, it'll go away eventually."

  Feelings of ecstasy continued to gush out. The unbelievable night had passed. He escaped ungodly horrors and made off with mythical treasure. This was a cause for celebration. At least it would have been. A cave was the wrong place to throw a party, and he needed a drink since yesterday. Now seemed like a good time to get a bearing on where he was going next. The moon still has a locked door at Mordon-Gal, but the key is missing. Thankfully, Senkazital did have an idea for finding it, and the mask would show him the way. The island to the east, the temple of zaal, hides the prize.

  Alexx was relieved to know his hunches about that temple were correct. After sailing around for so long and becoming intimate with the land masses, he had felt as if every corner of the planet had been uncovered. His relief also carried a feeling of bitterness. Sheila, his trusted friend in pirating, had betrayed him. She had been adamant that the Zaal temple had nothing in it and it had been completely empty. Why would she lie? Did she not want Alexx to find the Moon's Heart? She had helped him look for many years now, being one of the most reliable informants Alexx could find. Did Senkazital lie? He knew a lot about Rediew, and he obtained his freedom. A being with so much supposed power as Senkazital had little reason to need Alexx at all. Or was there? The list of unknown motives and secrets had grown, but none of them were enough to stop Alexx. He decided to go east, to the temple of the moon.

  Dusting off his hands, Alexx stood up, and audibly announced his departure. He wasn't expecting a reply until the guy from behind gave him one.

  "Aren't you forgetting your little friend?"

  The mysterious man was sitting up and facing Alexx now. The tattoos were written up and down the front of his arms and legs, and they all stemmed from a large engraving in the center of his chest. There was one, small crystal jutting out of his skin, and glowing orange. Alexx pushed back on his question.

  "Do you mean you?" Alexx gave a look around, "I don't see anyone else. It's odd to refer to yourself as 'friend', or 'little'."

  "I'm referring to the Bacoot that fell off during flight."

  Alexx was stunned, but hid it with another twisted face of confusion. How did this guy know about Silas?

  "Bacoot? I'm afraid I don't follow buddy."

  "Then I'll be clear," the man stood up and began approaching slowly. There was something about his body language that seemed intense. His arms were still and his hands flexed as if reaching for something. His steps were deliberate, stepping lightly and without making a sound. Alexx had seen this kind of thing before, with experienced fighters.

  "You and the old Bacoot that were clinging to the black-scaled dragon just before it crashed right here.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Alexx was amazed, "Were you there? Did you see where it went?"

  "I am the dragon!" Said the stranger.

  Alexx paused and stared at the naked man claiming to be a dragon.

  "Aren't you... missing some wings? A few scales maybe?"

  "I'm the dragon from last night, you fool."

  "Then why aren't you a dragon now?"

  Disgruntled, the man drew a long groaning breath. He seemed to calm down, and pointed to the orange crystal on his chest. Alexx donned the mask and looked at the inscriptions. Things like draca, appeared but also sawol, wendan, and more words that imply the 'soul controls body', and 'body controls dragon'. The arrangement of words was strange to Alexx, and he didn't understand what it all meant. Alexx had to think for a moment.

  "You have a crystal with a... dragon soul in it?" Alexx guessed.

  "Precisely." The look on the man's face was of relief that Alexx figured it out, "Makido and those other Kagral at the tower graveyard did this, along with Crowe."

  "Marcus? He's mixed up with Kagral?"

  "Has for a while now," the man revealed, "Probably farther than anyone realizes."

  "Should've known that sack of fish guts was up to no good. I shouldn't be surprised he's corrupt. Jimbardin is full of criminals, all the way to the top brass. A dishonest place for dishonorable people."

  "That's my home you're talking about," the man said staring with murderous intent,

  "Hey don't get me wrong, I love the place! I make my best sales there."

  "Whatever," the man brushed passed Alexx and began walking away.

  He didn't make it far from Alexx as he noticed a large sound approaching them. He looked back at Alexx, who had also heard the noise. The ground was rustling, and the swishing of fabric and clanging of small metals combined. The rustling turned into marching, and boots crunching branches. As they came into the clearing, some men and women approached carrying weapons. They had some leather armor, but none of them were fully equipped. Their weapons were old, chips and rust on all of them, and only one real weapon looked decent enough to do damage. Some even carried farming equipment.

  The random party of villagers stopped when they could see both of the men. They were all staring at him, very concerned, and at Alexx quizzically. whispers traveled back and forth, while Alexx and the naked man waited to see what they would do.

  Finally, a young man with pale white hair stepped forward, lowering his weapon and clearing his throat.

  "Hello strangers, I'm Erym. We are looking for the creature that fell down here hours ago. Have either of you two seen it?"

  Alexx breathed easy. They were concerned villagers looking to keep their home safe. He relaxed his posture. The other man sighed and excused himself walking north. He snatched one of the villagers cloaks to cover himself as he left. Everyone watched him leave until he disappeared. They were commenting among themselves things like his destination, and his missing clothes. They eventually had their attention back to Alexx.

  "Strange happenings going on today," the young man named Erym said with a light chuckle, "You seem to be a wanderer,"

  Alexx climbed from the crater and drew close to the party, who didn't seem bothered by him approaching.

  "You have no idea," Alexx said in reply, "Yes I saw the creature too, and as I was approaching I didn't see what was so large and black in the sky. I myself wandered upon that man too, and just moments ago shook him awake. But he started rambling something about Kagral."

  The broad strokes of truth he shared with them were echoing back among them in low talk.

  "I see, and you didn't see anything?"

  "Nothing, it's quite weird. I don't see how something so large could disappear so easily."

  The others were agreeing, and were talking at Alexx now, expressing their similar thoughts. He continued lying about exploring the area and finding nothing out of the ordinary, and making slight jokes about hallucinations, which had the farmers chuckling. Erym listened intently to him the entire time, and never took his eyes off of him. The young man seemed less than twenty, but his composure revealed a maturity beyond his age. After watching Alexx get the crowd laughing, Erym continued his questions.

  "Where is the wind carrying such a charismatic wanderer?"

  "East," Alexx replied, "Over the snowy mountains."

  "You look a little under prepared for such a trip." Erym observed.

  "I planned on trading before the trip, hence why I chased after a large flying creature."

  "Odd," Erym feigned his words, "What settlement are you coming from? Is there a new place? Because the only place I know out this way are island based, pirate territory."

  The mood changed again, to apprehension. Some of the men were furrowing their brows. Alexx could hear grips tightening on handles. Alexx looked at Erym who stared back with a face that said 'I figured you out, pirate'. He waited for his reply, finger tapping he hilt of his weapon. Once again, Alexx found himself trying to come up with an excuse, but with so little to work with, he was shifting between two or three ideas. Kill the farmers— no. Stealing treasure is one thing, lives are another thing entirely. Run away— maybe. They seemed slow, but he had no food or sleep for a day. Give them a lie— it worked before. And he managed to get a useful servant for a little bit. But if it failed, perhaps threatening them could buy him some time. They were just farmers after all.

  "Okay, you folk seem honorable, so I have to tell you my secret, otherwise you're going to think I'm crazy."

  They waited for his answer silently.

  "I... am the child of prophecy."

  They all looked at each other. No one seemed surprised or even angry. Alexx felt troubled. Erym approached him with a blank expression.

  "Nice try, pirate. But we won't be falling for your story."

  They gathered around him, ready to fight. Alexx could see no way out, he held his sword and tried one more time.

  "You're making a mistake, I'm not a pirate. This is a disguise so my enemies don't know who I am."

  "Wrong again," As Erym replied, Alexx felt his gear removed from him, and was left with his clothes.

  "You are not the child of prophecy- pirate," Erym said, "I am."