Roar of Dragons

[Sig – 13 years]

My phone pings, alerting me to a message from the group chat. The new group chat, which includes Jake. It's really a shame the service won't let us just add a new person to it instead of only being able to pick who's in when it's created.

When I check the chat, I find a picture of Xander with a flushed face. He must have just finished martial arts and accidentally zoomed in when taking the picture, then gave up and sent it instead of taking a new one. That happens on occasion.

There's no fitness session today even though it's Friday and the holiday is over. As with schools, Xander has a break from them for today as well. I offered to join him for the fitness sessions he's still doing anyway, but he declined. Those are just "simpler exercises" he's doing with his dad and/or the security guards.

It's basically the same thing, just not as intense as when Coach Adam runs him through them. I don't think he realizes he's just doing lighter (and a little bit shorter) fitness sessions rather than regular ones and it's basically the same thing.

Though not doing a fitness session was actually making me feel restless, especially since I'm already used to moving around all the time. I did some exercising of my own a little bit ago to help burn that off.

Xander's typing, so I wait for him to send before responding, so I know what to respond to beyond just asking how his exercising went.

[Xander]: Are y'all coming to the barbecue?

[Isaac]: Anyone ever tell you you're insane?

[Connor]: It's like, 40 out! Why is the town having a barbecue?

[Sig]: What're you bringing?

[Jake]: No way I'm not gonna go!

Xander first asked us about the barbecue yesterday. Something tells me it's more than just a barbecue because of that. Either that, or he's just really happy about being able to contribute to the town. They waited until Wednesday to announce that the pavilions had been upgraded thanks to a donation from Xander.

Now, the pavilions have warming enchantments which also keep the wind out. The town's playing it as if the sudden barbecue they announced on Monday is just to celebrate getting those upgrades.

I know better. Xander wouldn't be caught dead at a crowded event like that unless there was something else going on. When he did yesterday, it just seemed like he was curious.

But he said "coming" not "going" in the text. That means he'll be there this afternoon and there's an actual plan for it beyond just celebrating. Whatever it is that's going to be a surprise must be pretty big to be kept secret like this, too.

I'm changing my mind about the barbecue and am attending. Not for any of those reasons, but because Xander's apparently doing something and I want to participate. He'll also probably be more relaxed with friends present.

[Sig]: Gonna go ask Aunt Rachel!

[Xander]: It's a potluck. You don't HAVE to bring something, but you can if you want. Don't forget that part.

I asked him what he's bringing and he didn't answer, only reminded me that it's a potluck. Or us, I guess, since he probably figured I knew since I asked him. Yeah, he's definitely doing something for the barbecue.

I head upstairs and find Aunt Rachel on the phone with someone.

"…see you soon, Trace," she says, then hangs up and looks over. "Hey, Sig!"

"Trace?" I ask. "You've got a friend coming over?"

"No," she smiles. "My cousin. I haven't seen her since I was little, though – her parents moved her across the country when we were little. She and her son came out here last night and she was calling to let me know she was in the area and asked if she could come over."

"Oh!" I say. "We have extended family?"

"Just them," she tells me. "Though I didn't know she had a son. It really has been awhile since we last spoke."

"So he's… a second-cousin, right?" I ask.

"Right," she says.

"When're they gonna be here?"

"In about ten minutes," she answers.

"For how long?"

"You invited your friends over, didn't you?"

"No," I shake my head. "Xander asked us yesterday if we were going to the town's barbecue today. We hadn't really decided… but then he just asked us a minute ago if we were coming to it. Since it's not even setup time yet… that tells me that he's actually involved in more than just paying for the town to upgrade its pavilions with warming enchantments. So I wanted to go, but also bring something since it's a potluck. Make something for it, like coleslaw or mac and cheese. I don't know what he's planning… but I really don't want to miss it."

Xander doesn't do half-measures so it's definitely something big. The fact that he managed to keep whatever it is a secret means it must be a really big thing.

"Well," she chuckles. "Tracy said they were in town because her son wanted to be at the barbecue. And I'm sure we can ask them to help us make stuff for it. If not, well… this might be the last time we see them for awhile. I really haven't spoken with her since before you were born, so I don't know what she's like now."

"Let's hope they're good!" I say. "And to my friends, too. Especially Xander. Nobody is mean to my friends for any reason and gets away with it!"

"Especially Xander," she ruffles my hair. "Why don't you get dressed and ready to go? Shorts aren't exactly good for going out in with how cold it is today and we'll need to buy the stuff for what we make."

"Alright!"

I head downstairs and pick out an outfit. Jeans, a green long-sleeved shirt, and a grey hoodie. It's a comfortable outfit and once I'm in it, I take a selfie and send it to the group chat. The others haven't committed to the barbecue yet, just commented about how cold it is. Xander's asked another two times since I went upstairs if they're coming, too.

They should really get the hint that he wants us there. He's trying so hard to not say there's something else happening and he wants us there for it.

[Sig]: Heading to the store to get stuff to make something for the BBQ!

[Sig]: We haven't decided yet what.

[Sig]: Any suggestions?

[Xander]: Mac and cheese.

That was a fast response. Xander must be craving it.

[Sig]: Alright!

[Xander]: Are the rest of y'all coming? Other than Jake. He already said he is.

[Connor]: I want to go, but unless there are a bunch of other kids there, I don't think there'll be too many activities and we can just play at someone's house. Probably won't stay for long.

[Isaac]: I might go for a little bit.

[Sam]: Same, if Isaac goes.

[Sig]: OH MY GOODNESS, GUYS!

[Sig]: XANDER IS TRYING REALLY HARD NOT TO TELL US THAT HE WANTS US THERE FOR SOME SPECIAL, SECRET EVENT THAT HASN'T BEEN ANNOUNCED! SO ASK YOUR DADS AND GO!

[Xander]: I was told not to bring food to the event, partly as I already contributed by paying for the enchantments. Could y'all bring mac and cheese?

Fortunately, Xander not denying my message lets the others know it's true and they all ask their dads about going for the barbecue. A few minutes after that, there's knocking at the door upstairs and I head up there to find…

A boy about fourteen years old who has a familiar face standing with a man and a woman about Aunt Rachel's age. The woman has the same black hair and blue eyes that Aunt Rachel and I do, while the man and boy have black hair and green eyes.

And the boy has a mischievous grin I've seen a few times.

"Niko?"

There's no way he's here!

"Hey, Sig!" His grin widens. "Turns out, your aunt's my mom's cousin! Which I didn't know until Mom was telling me about her call, where she learned her cousin was taking care of a nephew named S.G."

I look at Aunt Rachel, who's grinning at me.

"You knew?"

"We figured it out during the call," Aunt Rachel tells me as we let our relatives in. "Tracy was talking about Niko being a part of an SMP for World of Myst and how he'd mentioned that some of the other members lived in the area and he was hoping they could hang out."

"It's the main reason I wanted to come," Niko tells me. "When I heard there was a barbecue to celebrate new enchantments on the pavilions paid for by Xander, I just knew there was something going on that wasn't being publicized."

"Oh, jeez," I groan. "I picked up on it as soon as he asked if we were coming earlier, when it's not even setup time yet. But my friends took me telling them that he was trying to get them to come for a not-publicized event."

"It's going to be an amusing one," Niko's father says.

"You know about it?" I ask.

"Before that," he says. "Why don't we all introduce ourselves? My name's Kyle. You can call me 'Uncle Kyle', if it's easier to handle."

"Better than… what is it, first cousin once removed?" I ask.

"Yup," he chuckles.

"Nice to meet you!" I say. "I'm S.G., or Sig to those close to me and Seb online."

"What should I call you here?" Niko asks.

"Seb is fine," I tell him. "It's what you're used to."

"Alright!" He holds out a fist. "Nice to see you in-person, Seb!"

"Nice to meet you, too!" I bump his fist with one of my own, then look at his mother. "So you'd be Aunt Tracy?"

"Yep," she says. "Niko's told me a lot about you. Mostly how the two of you have a friendly enemyship on the SMP and keep messing with each other."

"You still haven't managed to break into the cove with the new door without coming in through the walls," I tell Niko.

"Ugh!" He groans. "I actually streamed for a little bit yesterday and tried going in and AXEL UPGRADED THE WALLS!"

I haven't streamed at all this week due to the holiday and just wanting to take it off and relax. A lot of the SMP's members have taken it off.

Discussing the on-server stuff is fine, so it's okay to talk about his stream yesterday. It's his own content he's sharing with me and we can explain it if it comes up in-game as me having learned about it "in a dream".

Which is how stuff which doesn't count as metagaming gets shared. We do plan stuff behind the scenes as well, and it'd be impossible to do so if we couldn't talk about what we're doing with each other off of the SMP.

"He did what?" I do my best not to laugh.

"I died six times before giving up."

"I'm surprised you made it that many times," I tell him.

"Six different spots," he tells me. "But Axel really wanted to make sure I couldn't steal the Pirate King's loot."

"I'm gonna give him a raise!"

"Do you even pay him?"

"Nope!"

"Alright, you goofballs," Uncle Kyle says. "I should answer Seb's question. On me knowing about the event, yes. It seems only humans don't know what's going on beyond what the town itself has stated but you're right in that there's something else planned."

"Only humans?" I ask. "Wait. You're not human?"

"Nope!" Niko grins. "Dad's a dragon, too! Back when -" he says what I'm assuming is Dragon River's real name "-showed up, Dad let me know a few hours before that the existence of dragons was about to become public. That a dragon was going to make an appearance on TV… I asked if Xander was involved because y'know, he's Xander King. He works at his own pace and his own pace is… really odd, even by nonhuman people standards."

"So you're half-dragon?" I ask.

"Yup!" He answers. "And, apparently, a certain phoenix told a bunch of different nonhumans about today's event and what's really going on. Dad only told me after I asked him if we could come down here. It's, uh… once again just Xander doing things, but is going to be pretty crowded."

Something tells me that Xander inherited his "work at a pace odd for even nonhuman people" from a certain phoenix.

"Probably later," I say. "But early on, it shouldn't be too crowded."

"He underestimated people's willingness to come to even a cold event," Uncle Kyle tells me. "Especially when it means potentially making a connection with him."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Xander King," he says. "Is quite famous across the globe, among all peoples of the world, human or otherwise. Even ones you likely don't know exist talk about him. He's making waves, though we nonhumans don't mind them.

"Among humans," he continues. "Xander is quickly becoming the most influential person aside from Magus Adrian. He's also more openly influencing the world. People in the upper class will want to try and get a connection with him because it means they might potentially get him to benefit them. Because this is an event he's potentially going to be at, they'll want to attend. That means there will be plenty of attendees even at the start."

"I did assume that," Aunt Rachel says.

"Right," Uncle Kyle nods. "And plenty of lower-class and middle-class citizens will have realized that, so they'll want to attend to try and get the attention of or a connection to someone from the upper classes, especially if the really influential ones attend.

"But Xander likely didn't realize this," he tells us. "It's youth and inexperience, of course, so he can't be blamed. He assumed no one would want to come because it would just be cold and the food would get cold. So he paid for the pavilions to be upgraded so that people would have less of a reason to not come to a town barbecue."

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Oooooh!" I say.

That actually makes sense. I hadn't thought of all of that, either.

"And you're not gonna tell me what the event is, are you?"

"Let's just say…" he chuckles. "I know of several nonhumans who are taking human form to attend the event… and several who are sticking to their real form. There are rumors that Aurum and Blaze will attend, and I don't think anyone's ever seen their human forms."

If Grandpa Blaze went around telling people about the event, then he'll definitely show up.

"Uncle Aurum was in a human form at Xander's Halloween party," I tell him. "And had even turned his son, Solaris, into one. Kid was sooo cute! Oh, but speaking of real forms… um… I'm not sure if you're been warned, but a dragon my friends go to school with-"

"Dragon River already warned us about Xander's true self," Uncle Kyle tells me. "I'd let him know I was coming with my family to visit since my son wanted to go to the barbecue. He told me then about Xander's real form and how it can be intimidating. He said that when he first met Xander, he realized his son wasn't exaggerating when he'd told him about feeling as if Xander might eat him. If anything, human words can't describe how terrifying it is. But also to keep in mind that Xander is more nonhuman than human. The transcendent mindset is stronger him in. He's unlikely to bother us unless we mess with him the wrong way."

"Yeah," I nod, then look at Niko. "You know, with how mischievous you can be on the server, a phoenix would make more sense than dragon."

"I mean," he chuckles. "I'm fourteen. And I've been around Grandpa Blaze a decent amount. He likes dive-bombing younger dragons just to see how good our reflexes are. I might be only half, but that's close enough. And he almost broke one of my wings once!"

"He does what?" I laugh.

"You two can share stories as we go," Aunt Rachel says. "Trace, Kyle, Sig wants to make something to bring to the barbecue, so we were planning on heading to the store to get some stuff. Want to come with us?"

"Sure!" Tracy answers. "We were planning on picking something up to bring on the way there but if you don't mind us using your kitchen, we could grab stuff to make something as well."

"Not at all," Aunt Rachel says. "Sig? What did you want to make?"

"Xander was insistent on us bringing mac and cheese for some reason," I tell her. "So mac and cheese! Oh, but I'll buy a new slow cooker so that we can bring it there and if it gets taken by someone else, we won't lose ours."

"Then we'll do mashed potatoes," Aunt Tracy says. "If the stores have the right things, I can make a pretty good gravy to go with it, too."

"Sounds good!" I say. "As long as it's not the over-buttered kind! Creamy is better than greasy!"

"Of course," she chuckles.

"Why don't we get going now?" Aunt Rachel asks. "And we can talk more at the store? If we're making mac and cheese, we'll want to be back in time to finish it in time to bring it to the event. I'm sure Sig wants to be there from the start."

"Right!" I say. "Let's go!"

Niko rides with his parents while I ride with Aunt Rachel. On the way to the store, I text Xander because something seems too coincidental to be a coincidence.

[Sig]: Did you know that Niko was Aunt Rachel's cousin's son?

[Xander]: Yeah. Grandpa Adrian told me when he was suggesting people to add to the SMP.

[Sig]: Was he invited because he's my cousin?

[Xander]: He's a streamer who met the requirements. Him being your second-cousin wasn't a factor, just coincidence. Grandpa Adrian probably included him in the list because of that, but I didn't pick him because of it.

[Sig]: How many people are related to others on the SMP that aren't stated?

[Xander]: Niko's your second-cousin, Niels, Leif, and Axel are brothers and they're my second-cousins, and two of the admins are related to one of the players. That's it for familial relations.

[Sig]: …

[Sig]: How many people on the SMP have something nonhuman in them?

[Xander]: You and Lexi are the only full humans.

I burst out laughing at that. The only full humans on the SMP are the first two people Xander invited onto it. His great-grandfather must have deliberately picked people who were both content creators (or connected to them) and partially nonhuman. The former so that they'd have some followers or an easier ability to gain it. The latter because they'd be less likely to actually be problematic and more likely to follow Xander's rules.

"What?" Aunt Rachel asks.

"Sorry," I calm my laughter. "Just Xander being Xander. I'm not sure if I can reveal what he said."

It's just like him to casually reveal something like that. He also casually revealed that he killed Akrolnomak. Repeatedly.

"By the way," I change the topic. "What do you think Niko's favorite cookie is?"

"Why?"

"Because once he finds out that Niko's here," I say. "Xander's probably going to want to know so he can give him a cookie box. They haven't actually interacted on the server, but I'm more than certain Xander is going to like him enough to want to give him a treat box before he leaves."

"Oh," she says. "You can ask him once we get to the store, so you know for when Xander asks, if he does."

"Right!" I say. "I could!"

Niko being here gives me an idea, too. It'd be nice if I could meet some of the others I hang out with on the SMP, like Axel and Lexi. Some of the others might be interested in that, too. Once we've all learned each other's languages better, I'll see if they'd be interested in doing an in-person meetup for the whole SMP. Most of would need to get permission from our guardians, of course, but I think it would be pretty cool.

Xander would probably be happy to meet Niels in-person, too. They apparently hang out a lot and Niels has been helping him with building stuff.

Then again, Niels is going to be bringing him some sun beef at some point so Xander can get to try it. I'll ask him after today's event if they have it planned already. Maybe Axel could come with Niels so that we can hang out while they hang out.

Hopefully, he'll let me try some of the sun beef, too. Asking will probably make him feel like he has to invite me when it's a thing between him and his cousin.

I'll ask Mr. Richardson what to do the next time I see him when Xander's not around. For now, I'm going to look up mac and cheese recipes to see if any catch my eye, especially ones good for a barbecue.

[Xander – 13 years]

My orb follows me around as I check on things, and I swipe through a few windows and menus. Temperatures seem fine all throughout the pavilions. The barbecuing stations are set up and should be functional. All of the platters used for transferring foods from the barbecuing stations to the main pavilion are enchanted ones which will protect the food on them from the cold air. Same for the barbecuing stations.

These are temporary ones being loaned by a catering company within the Lumaria Group. The reason for enchanted dishes and barbecuing stations is so that the food cooks right and doesn't get cold when transferring over to the pavilion. We could cook them in the pavilion, but it was decided not to due to the quantity of it and the amount of people who will be here. In addition, it allows us to use wood and charcoal for some of the cooking without having smoke get trapped underneath the roof of a pavilion.

Magitech and enchantments could nullify that to make the air safe, but that was nixed because of the space. They really seem to think it will get crowded here for some reason.

Some of the stations will have magic fire so smoke from those won't be an issue, but there might also be smoke from the stuff getting cooked. And it's just better to have them outside of the pavilions in general.

The paths between the barbecuing stations and the main pavilion are clear, as are the paths to the other pavilions. The dragon-waiting zone is marked-out with a "DO NOT CROSS" tap surrounding it. There's no other label, so only those already aware of the dragons' visit will know what it's for. Plenty of space is still available for anyone who wants to play games or something, though that's unlikely.

Right now, the only people present are those setting up for the event and the officers and military personnel who showed up to ensure any problems are taken care of quickly. The officers only know it's expected to be a busy event, while the Special Magic Forces members for the security were informed that dragons would show up.

But they want a lot of people here to act as security or for other things, so half of the town's law enforcement personnel and half of the town's EMTs are here. There are also more than fifty Special Magic Forces soldiers here, not including the general.

They seem to be expecting at least a thousand people to show up throughout the course of the afternoon and into the evening. Maybe even over two thousand people.

Which is actually more than the three pavilions combined can safely house by several times, which is partly why they want zones set up for playing and doing other things. The general who's here said that there's a good chance a decent amount of people will hang out in the park's fields as well.

I really doubt that will happen. Maybe one or two hundred people at most, and that's after they find out dragons are here. Though we might hit four hundred? Quite a few people showed up when Dragon River was here and he said he'll be here in his dragon form again.

At least my friends are bringing mac and cheese. I was really feeling like we might not have enough. Dad told me it's fine, that it's cheap and easy so we'll actually probably have a lot of people bringing it, but I'm not entirely sure.

"Xander?" Dad asks as I reenter the pavilion to check on things again.

"Yes, Dad?"

"Why are there three slow roasters with your name on them filled with mac and cheese sitting on that table over there?" He asks. "Is that what the 'and some stuff' was when you asked if you could go get 'a smoothie and some stuff'?"

I take a sip of my smoothie.

"The mac and cheese is still cooking in the roaster ovens," I tell him. "Please don't open the roaster ovens more often than necessary. I only want the roaster ovens opened when I'm stirring the mac and cheese. I'm not sure if it'll get messed up otherwise. It should be done by noon, though, and that's when this begins. If it ain't, then I'll use magic to finish it."

Even though lunch should have already happened (I did eat lunch), the barbecue begins at noon and goes until "seven or eight". That's what the general supervising the event said.

Also, why does Mom feel amused at my response? Did I say something wrong?

"Now," I say. "Which question am I answering first? In that order?"

"Reverse the order."

"Okay," I say. "Yes, that was the 'and some stuff'. I bought the roaster ovens and the stuff for the mac and cheese, and it's homemade even though it's not made at home because I made it from scratch rather than buying the boxed stuff and I'm not a restaurant or a caterer or something like that. That's apparently how it works. And they're there because I felt like even with each of my friends saying they were going to bring a slow cooker of it."

"And I told you that's not a concern," Dad says. "And the organizers told you not to bring something, since you've already done so much for it, between paying for the enchantments and arranging for dragons to show up and do a barbecue."

"Right," I say. "I'm the one who made it, but it's not here as my thing. But the mac and cheese I have cooking technically isn't my thing.

"I realized that the boys' home probably wouldn't bring the boys here because, y'know, it's a big potluck," I tell him. "It's rude to not bring stuff, but they wouldn't be able to afford it. So I called Ms. Johnson and told her that if they and the girls' home connected to it came, I'd cover their potluck bring for them. That way, they can participate and not feel bad for not bringing something. And that it's just another thing to thank them for taking care of me. Former residents do stuff like that sometimes, where they cover something for them as thanks."

Dad seems to not know what to say to that, based on how his mind normally feels to me when that happens. I'm not sure what I said to cause that, but at least I found a way to both thank them (again) and provide extra mac and cheese to help make up for the deficit I was feeling like there was going to be.

"Oh," I add. "And I have extra stuff to make more, in case we run out."

"Alright," Dad snorts.

"Xander," Mom says, her amusement increasing even more. "Did you say 'roaster oven' three times in response to Trey's question because he called them 'slow roasters'?"

"Um… Tate told me that some barbecue sauces make pulled pork or roast beef taste good when mixed with mac and cheese," I say. "Is that true?"

Please don't get mad at me for not answering.

"Yes," Mom chuckles. "It's true. It's usually mixed in after both are finished cooking, the meat with the barbecue sauce. That way, people can decide how much to mix in."

"I might try that, then," I tell her. "But I want to get back to making sure everything is fine. I know we've got a lot of time before people might show up, but I really want to make sure that things should go well as best I can. I already asked a wind elemental to keep the winds down today, though I decided to let it snow since kids who show up might want to play in it, and I was talking with Ashberry about the walking paths a little bit ago and he said…"

[Niels – 16 years] → begins before Sig's PoV.

"You boys ready?" Grandma asks. "Who's riding on my back, and who's shifting to dragon form?"

We've met her in one of the fields on one of our family's farms to begin the trip to Xander's town. She's already in her real form, a large dragon with scales as pale yellow-white as our hair. Her eyes are the same clear, sky blue as ours as well. There's a difference between those colors and her scales and eyes, though.

Anyone who looks at her scales wouldn't just say they're sun-blond like our hair. They'd say it actually looks like looking into the sun, but without getting blinded. Our scales do actually glow faintly, too. We have to deliberately dim them if we don't want to glow.

As for our eyes in our real forms, well, Axel's girlfriend swore she could see clouds drift across them the first time she saw him in it.

In addition to being in her real form, Grandma wears a light grey leather pouch on a chain around her neck. It's made from a piece of hide from a tempo wyvern she killed some thousand-plus years ago. Magus Adrian fashioned it into a stasis pouch with an expanded space for her, and all of the stuff we're bringing is in it. In her human form, she wears it fixed onto a belt, tailoring magic used to turn the clip into the chain and vice versa.

"Dragon form," I answer, and my brothers agree.

For such a long trip, getting to spread my wings would be much more comfortable than sitting on someone's back. Even if Grandma Aurora were to wear a saddle – which our great-aunt never does – our asses would get sore and our legs stiff after awhile. Her flying is smooth, but there's a limit to how long one can stay in a specific position before it's uncomfortable.

"Your things can go into my pouch," she tells us. "For if you wish to switch back once we're there."

"Alright," I say.

After we've undressed, stuck our things in her pouch, and taken on our dragon forms, the four of us take flight. It was agreed that the only new person for Xander to meet today from our group is Grandma, since he's meeting my brothers and I in-person for the first time and there's bound to be a crowd. Too many new people would likely overwhelm him, which is why our parents and Axel's girlfriend aren't going.

Especially when considering that Grandpa Blaze went and let a bunch of different people know about the party. Xander will definitely be meeting a lot of new people today. He can meet our parents and Axel's girlfriend another time, when less is going on.

The flight from Sweden to the part of Kenzibri Xander lives in will take us five hours, and I'm really tempted to try and dive-bomb leviathans we spot as we cross over the Atlantic Ocean. None of them attempt to bother us, it just feels like it would be fun to see how close I make it before they're back under the surface.

And how far under the surface I can make it from a single dive.

Flying can be fairly relaxing, but also boring when it's just a straight flight. There's nothing quite like the feeling, though. Few things can match or exceed it in how good it feels. Only the sun and air above me, air flowing across my body and wings, innate magics ensuring a smooth flight, no stinging eyes, and no random bugs obscuring my vision. My scales take in sunlight and convert it into mana and energy.

Without focusing on something like thinking about dive-bombing the leviathans, it's easy to essentially fall into a trance. There's a reason dragons normally use magic to hide ourselves from the public eye and it's because they have a tendency to just… fly. Even those of us who are only partially dragons do that, magics used to hide us as we do.

"By the way," Grandma says as we're about halfway across the ocean, speaking in the language of dragons. "Every dragon who lives around there reached out after this was arranged and let me know something about Xander."

If every single dragon who Xander knows has reached out to her, then there's one thing I can think of.

"About his real form?" I ask, also in the language of dragons.

It's easier to speak in this language while in our dragon forms than in a human language. At the same time, most pure humans will never be able to understand it. We have to use magic in order to speak human languages in our dragon forms, and neither me nor my brothers are good enough for that yet.

Speaking in this language feels more natural in this form, anyway. Grandma would also scold us for speaking in a human language in dragon form when speaking to another dragon.

"You know about it?" She asks.

"Yeah," I answer. "The spirits warned me about it once they learned I was going to visit him."

They wanted me to be prepared, but said I likely won't fully be prepared for it even with their warning.

"It always amazes me that you actually put in enough effort to be able to sense and communicate with spirits," Axel comments. "I've tried and it just seems like so much work. And they actually like you, too! Aren't most spirits more finnicky?"

"Mostly the younger ones," I tell him. "They're less sure about non-spirits than those who've lived for longer. Older ones tend to be more chill, even if they don't show themselves often. The ancient ones are the ones which tend to not leave their domains, but that's because they've usually decided to protect the area rather than as a dislike for non-spirits."

"Ah," he says.

"What's this about Xander's real form?" Leif asks. "Isn't he essentially a chimera as he's a first-gen of his kind? But his form should still be smooth."

Like wolfkin, or merboys.

"No," Grandma says. "Xander's real form is… unusual, I was told. His real self seems to be in an odd state where it doesn't quite exist, as if it has yet to figure out what it really is. At the same time, it gives a feeling that even breathing wrong near him will result in him simply devouring you. One chomp, and you're gone forever."

"An essence beast, the spirits called him," I say. "A creature whose essence exists but hasn't taken an actual set form yet."

"Yes," Grandma says. "I reached out to Magus Adrian after hearing about that, and he said that once Xander himself figures out what he is, his real form should finally take a proper final shape. If one looks deeply enough, they can actually see traces of what his true nature might one day become, once that happens. But I wanted to make sure you were all prepared for when you see him. Try not to be startled too much."

"Yes, ma'am!" We respond.

Soon, we arrive at the continent, continuing on towards Dragon Falls. Their wilderness is so lush and vast, and there are so many creatures there I haven't seen before. Magical variations different from back home or in other countries.

Every area has its own unique quirks of magic, and a land like this being untouched as long as it was allowed for some truly special magical variants. There's a reason most spatial and temporal creatures in the world are from these two continents.

Even dragons originated here, though those who transcended did move further north, both here and across the ocean. That's why most noble dragons have homes near human society – because it was simply where they chose to settle down.

As we draw near to Dragon Falls, a giant sign made out of nothing but mana flows comes into view. Xander really put up a "DRAGON LANDING ZONE" sign with an arrow pointing down in such a way that only dragons and dragon-blooded people could see.

"-the meat is on its way," Xander's voice reaches my ears before I can see the actual dragon landing zone. "Oh. I think they're almost here. Yeah, I see them now. Look, they're right over there. They'll be hard to miss if you're looking in that direction once they're within normal sight."

I nearly freeze up upon seeing him. Even the warnings weren't enough. Xander's real form is… I'd thought he might have been whatever that dream-like being the spirits told me about was. The one which closed the Rift and accidentally put a Rift-blocking seal over all of Earth. Grandma told me that Xander doesn't have enough mana to do that, from what our grand-uncle says, but I still thought it might be him.

His real form doesn't match that dream-like sphere of energy. No, it's… something else entirely.

Like a tree with an infinite amount of branches and fruit, purple, gold, and grey energy endlessly swirling around him. It's both dizzying large and shockingly small. At the same time, it's not a tree at all, it's a sun burning hotter than even we sun dragons could withstand. Yet at the same time, it's actually a wolf stalking the night, with eyes capable of seeing in absolute light and absolute darkness.

That's only some of it, too. None of those are even his real self, it's just things flowing through it, his nature shifting between them from moment to moment. At the same time, however, he's all of them all at once yet not at all.

No wonder it's "as if it doesn't know what it is yet". Nobody and nothing can be multiple things in their real nature. They're only ever one thing, even if it's a harmonic blend of several other creatures. The spirits who warned me about him had never heard of a creature which wasn't already something, where it wasn't set yet. That makes him even more unusual.

So Xander can't even have a proper true form until he figures out what he is? Is that related to him being such a powerful dreamsage? It seems to permeate every fiber of his real being.

Which really does feel like it's a one-chomp-gone deal for those who cross him. The unset nature of his real form only enhances that, too. It must be because I've never encountered something without a proper real form before – it's unnerving to see someone without one.

Leif freezes up a little when he sees Xander, but that just causes him to glide for a few moments, which isn't a problem. The same happens with me. Xander's real nature might be undetermined, but it's also terrifying. It feels as if his gaze is looking deeper into my soul than even a dragon's nature allows as if it detects even the slightest hint of a threat or challenge to it, he'll consume me the way some kids consume candy.

Unfortunately our other brother, Axel experiences one of the most embarrassing things a dragon could ever experience: he goes ass-over-head as he crashes onto the ground.