Tree leaves sparkled with water in a soft downpour. An earthy smell passed through, the light pitter-patter hitting up against the ground, birds singing a choir while footsteps mushed against the soil. Veyric was walking through the rain towards a pond. He crouched down at the edge of it, his cloak damp, and the clothing underneath it littered with tears and unraveling fabric. His hand and wrist were painted with dry blood—the smell of iron seeping into his skin, and wafting around in the wind. Veyric dipped his hand in the water, attempting to scrub the blood off it. Footsteps were approaching him, ones he was familiar with.

  “Veyric?...” Vera called.

  “... Had a feeling you’d follow me anyway.” He replied.

  Vera’s hair was lightly dampened, her silver eyes focusing on him washing off his hands. She continued to approach until she was right next to him, crouching beside him.

  “The villagefolk are… Grateful. But a lot of them are scared and confused.” Vera said.

  “I know. I wanted to kill the rest of them, but… That’d do more harm than good. I don’t want to be a monster.” He replied.

  “You did what you had to do. If you didn’t, we’d be looking at a different story right now. Don’t let him dictate your thoughts, because he’s wrong about you. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, is that when people fear you, they try to control you. He’s afraid of you becoming a roadblock for his batshit insane empire.” She stated. Veyric softly chuckled.

  “Alright, alright… You’ve made your point.” He said, before cupping water in his hands and washing his face. The rain had passed, leaving the soil damp with a robust smell.

  “Let’s head back and see if anyone can treat you. You did take quite a beating…” Vera said. They stood up to head back in the direction of the village.

  “You might as well abandon the cloak at this point—everyone in the village knows you’re a hybrid,” Vera stated.

  “While I’m here, sure. When we head toward the final stretch of Leviara, it comes back on. If there’s one place I don’t trust, it’s there.” He remarked.

  “For someone like you? No argument there. Who knows what’ll happen if a species they haven’t seen in decades suddenly reappears?” She said.

  “Word’ll definitely get out from the bandits. With how many of them that were there, it’s inevitable.” Veyric said.

  “Yeah, but no one’s gonna believe what the hell a bunch of bandits have to say,” Vera added.

  “Can’t be too sure about that.” He replied.

  They walked right back through the entrance gates of the village. Everyone seemed to have had the time to analyze and acknowledge what happened, the flow of the village ebbing into tranquility. The village children played in mud puddles from the recent downpour. Veyric unhooded himself again, steadying his shoulders from the glances of passing locals. His hand instinctively reached for his hood, and it lingered before it fell back at his side. Penelope paced towards them upon seeing their return.

  “I’m glad you both returned safely. It’s unbelievable that you two are of dragon descent. All of us have never seen anything like your brother.” Penelope said. Veyric’s eyes met the side of Vera’s face for a brief moment.

  “Well, um… Actually, Veyric is more of one than I am. He hit the goldmine with the whole dragon genetics thing.” Vera stated while Veyric sighed.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Is there anything else I can do? In just a day, you’ve done us a favor of a lifetime.” Penelope said.

  “No, no, I think we’re—” Veyric tried to say.

  “Actually, he’ll have a bath and a fresh set of clothes if you don’t mind!” Vera interrupted Veyric.

  “Oh, and after, would someone be able to treat his wounds?” She added.

  “Of course, if there’s one thing we have plenty of, it’s medicine. I’ll make preparations.” Penelope replied before heading off into the trails of the village.

  “What was that for?” Veyric asked.

  “Could you have the decency to take care of yourself even just a little?” She replied, her hands were on her hips, and she was tapping her foot. Veyric sighed, looking away from her.

  “You’re wounded, you’ve got dirt on you, and your clothes have definitely seen better days. You fought damn hard, so treat yourself a little.” Vera said.

  “Treat myself to what?...” Veyric questioned.

  “Common necessities that living beings need? Food, water, baths, and clothes!” Vera replied.

  “Those are human necessities,” Veyric said.

  “Yeah, and you’re part human, which means you need them too!” Vera said.

  “Fair point, I’m part human, not all monster,” Veyric replied.

  “Stop calling yourself a monster, idiot!” Vera punched him in the arm.

  The clouds cleared, and the sun shone through the atmosphere with bright rays of evening light. Hugging the dirt trails were wooden houses. Vera leaned up against one near the entrance, staring off into the distance, feeling the breeze gently ruffle her hair while she looked at the map.

  “Leviara doesn’t look far from here… Not far at all. We should get there before the sun sets.” She muttered to herself. Her finger traced along the map to other areas.

  “This map was made recently…” She muttered again.

  Veyric appeared with his blonde hair revived to a silky texture and new clothes. His skin was radiant, and his horns shimmered, the glyphs even brighter than before. The cloak he wore was still deteriorated, but the rips and tears in the fabric were precisely stitched back together.

  “I’m ready to go,” Veyric said.

  “Damn, you’re looking a lot better than before. It’s almost like you never fought,” Vera said.

  “Cut it out…” He replied.

  “I’m serious, you look great,” Vera said.

  “Whatever you say.” He sighed and scratched his nape.

  “We’re not far from Leviara, we’ll be there before the sun sets,” Vera said.

  “Looks like this journey together is almost over,” Veyric said.

  “That’s right,” Vera replied.

  Just as they were leaving, the folks of the village gathered at the entrance to wave them goodbye. Vera and Veyric waved back until they vanished off into the forest trails once more.