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"What the hell is this?"

Avila woke up with most, if not all, capable dragon fighters waiting for her in front of her quarters. She was surprised by the sheer number of it, and wanted to ask anyone about this. Fortunately, she found Mitra. The dragon approached her and said, "What's with this crowd, Mitra?"

"Oh, they're just eager to meet and train under the outsider that defeated a whole army without lifting a claw," said Mitra with a smirk. Avila was annoyed by that.

"So I'm the one training them?"

"Why not? Besides, a number of them are Dark Angels with fear ability just like yours, and they thought 'why not ask a dragon that could bring nightmare down to the enemy to teach us'."

"Mitra, that ability is very dangerous..."

"Yes, and we are aware of it," said Mitra. "We called this symptom the Fear Effect, which is when a dark dragon awakened something within them that can project an illusion that could have a fear effect with other dragons. They want to ask you to teach them how to control it."

"Well...there's no harm in that. But be very sure that no one uses it as a prank. It's not funny."

"Why the hell do they want to do that?"

"Because I did it once."

Leaving a stunned Mitra, Avila looked towards the crowd and shouted, "I will not be able to fulfill all of your demands in one day, so take turns!"

In the end, the first one that was taught by Avila was Mitra's own squad of female Dark Angels, being the one with actual experience with fights. Avila asked Mitra about the way they fought, and asked her to spar with the dragon without powers (because Avila presented a very unfair advantage).

It did not take long until Mitra was soundly defeated by the smaller dragon, to the surprise of everyone around them. Mitra looked at her, then towards her comrades, before saying, "Should've known you're cheating before we even start the fight."

"Glad you could get it." Avila then turned towards the surprised dragons. "As you can see, I'm clearly not able to defeat Mitra without using some sort of cheat, but let this be a lesson for you. Even if we are noble dragons with great pride and prowess, technology and human adaptability will eventually catch up on us and let us extinct. I know some of you might say 'so then why didn't we strike first?' Well, the answer is because of your ancestor's belief that humans would never advanced beyond their early times.

"In the West, most of us learned to fight alongside them and coexist with them. Some of them are not even human to behind with. All of these developments, along with how the Dragonsbane works, requires us to use our creativity and hundred years old wisdom to outwit them."

"Outwit? They are just small, weak humans," said one of them.

"Weak body, but sharp mind. All we have to do is to outwit them with sharper dragon mind. But let me tell you this. Do not ever think about terrorizing them more than they should. Humans are weak creatures with weak body, but they also have even less trust with each other and to dragons. You fight them head-on, they will retaliate. You terrorize them to instill fear, they will retaliate. That's the way they do in the West."

"Then let me tell you this. Suppose we don't have any faith in them, like in the South. How are you going to do about it?"

"This is when that cheating comes in play. Some humans do believe that foul play is not noble, but when you are in the losing ground, the only way to fight back is to use some kind of foul play.

"When you are playing a game, cheating is not allowed, but what if it's the game of your life? Will you be willing to give up your life just because it's written in the rule? Both humans and dragons know that this is bullshit. For today, let me tell you a strategy in draconic battles."

Avila then explained to them how to use the nature to their advantage. Because they were giant beasts with wings, they could use the wind to cause a confusion, especially in a place full of sand. Avila, being a hybrid dragon with the ability to control air pressure, could do it easily, but she chose to use her own wings to tell them the way to do it.

She also gave them a strategy of sorts utilizing their ability to control darkness. She found out that the dragons could put some kind of a mine in and around Nia Baleth. This mine could be useful in helping them defending Nia Baleth during future fights.

Avila also told them to utilize the buildings in Nia Baleth and know their limits. They could use it to kill the incoming dragons and humans, but at the cost of losing some part of the structures for the trap. The Argoons were clearly unable to think about it. They were all in a belief that the humans were easier to rout that the dragons, but Avila changed their perspective.

Mitra, however, thought that everything was a little bit extreme, and asked Avila about it.

"We can't take chances when we are dealing with humans, Mitra. The moment they survive is the moment they strike back. We must ensure them dead before we can declare victory."

By the end of the lessons, two months later, all of them managed to think like the West and contacted this strategy to the other outposts. While it was like the West, it was mostly because of the improvisation of Avila's teaching with the Southern strategy in combat where they could suffice. Some dragons, however, questioned the brutality of the strategy. With it, no hostages could be taken.

It went into a test some weeks after finishing the improvised lessons, with the dragons managed to defeat the Dragonsbane easier than they thought. Yet, this wasn't because of them. It was their power and Avila's help that made them won. Surprisingly, Avila didn't even use her nightmarish ability.

One day, when Avila was teaching the Fear Effect dragons how to control their fear ability, she was called by Mitra. She asked her to follow her outside. Once outside, she said, "So, have you seen what these dragons are capable of?"

"Yes, and I want them to stay that way."

Mitra looked at her with a confusing thought, trying to find a way to explain. Avila noticed it and said, "What's wrong?"

"It's just...I'm not sure how you can coexist with humans if this is the way you live in. I mean, I know Western dragons are also mounts to dragon riders, but aren't the humans be appalled by the brutality we did?"

"Not really."

"Not really?"

"To be honest with you, the humans in the West knew the brutality of the dragons, but they personally didn't care, especially the rider. Do you know what they say about us? We are like unstoppable beasts conquering the sky."

"So they just take it as normal?"

"Our culture is based around their need for protection, and we achieved that with a bonding between dragons and humans, in which the dragon chose who is worthy of riding on their back. I've seen one of that ritual."

"So why didn't you?"

Avila smiled. "I guess I'm too proud to have anyone on my back. Besides, anyone I chose would have to be able to withstand by abilities, and only the vilest of them can. I don't want that."

"That applies to all of us too, then," said Mitra.

"Say, Mitra...why don't you return to the West? I know everyone is eager to do that. Avet is even able to do that"

Mitra smiled. "I've been dreaming for that day for hundreds of years, but, it's because of a curse."

"A curse?"

"Well, you see...the elder once told us why we can't return to the West. Even if we want to, we will be rejected by the lines bordering the Region erected by Western dragons thousands of years ago. When Valutja betrayed his friends, the dragons at that time gave a curse to all of us, stating that we were banned from the West forever. But there's one way to lift this curse, which I can say is impossible. This curse will be lifted if a dragon that witnessed the curse said to us that the curse is lifted. Seeing how it happened in ancient times, I can say no dragon alive would know this. Oh, and about Avet, he's a half-blood. That's the only way to go through the line without being impulsed to go back. Others that were not cursed to begin with, like you and your father, can travel without any harm."

Avila wasn't sure if that's the case. Xiciro would have known it and returned. Knowing him, the 'journey' he was talking about could be something else entirely. A hidden intention was his main characteristic, after all.

Except this time Avila realized what Xiciro was aiming. She smiled, knowing that aside from thinking, he had his own plans. This caught Mitra's attention.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Oh, nothing. My father always got a plan. You'll be surprised by it. Other than that, does anyone of you hold a grudge to the West...despite of that curse?"

"A grudge? I think that's stupid. I mean, we aren't living in hardship, and Valutja was the one to blame. He was too greedy to begin with. But in all seriousness, we don't have any grudge against you. The sins of our ancestors are for their own only. You do not do the same mistake."

"I believe that's the best answer I could get from you. So, wanna grab a bite?"

"A bite?"

"Oh, you know. Getting something to eat?"

"Yes, of course. I'm starving."

Avila wanted to be closer with the dragons, waiting for her father to return and give the Argoons something they couldn't guess. Before then, however, she would honor her end of the bargain and wait before getting to Seraphor. Just as Xiciro said, she was rushing and was endangering others with her own agenda. By helping the Argoons defending their little world, she helped them see a bigger, Southern World aside from what was seen in their text.

She still missed Seraphor, though, but she believed her mate would not fall into despair. She knew him, and his values could save him.

That is if no one realized that he was the silver red that burned a whole forest just to kill all the Dragonsbane in it....