Kace could only stare in horror.

“Is this…a part of the curse?” he breathed uneasily. 

“You-!” Collin yelled, pointing to Melody who struggled to her feet. “You dare disrespect the King of Beasts with your petty taunts!”

“So it really is you,” she chuckled breathlessly, cradling her side. “The war is long since over, and your comrades are dead. You are the King of no one.”

Collin growled, narrowing his eyes. An ear-splitting roar burst from his mouth along with a hurtling wave of fire. The fire burned a bright blue, scorching the earth. Melody and Ampleer dodged the flame, leaping out of the way.

“I may have walked this earth for a hundred years, but my fire remains true,” Collin said in a voice that wasn't his. 

Melody went to charge, but Ampleer held her back. 

“Let’s report back to the King,” he said softly. “And confirm his conspiracy.”

Melody clicked her tongue with disappointment. 

“Until next time,” she said. “But we’ll be back for an encore.”

The twins disappeared as a magic circle drew itself beneath their feet, engulfing them in light. They vanished into thin air, leaving behind a twinkle of shimmering particles.

“Cowards!” Collin yelled. “Cowards…!” he said more quietly, his eyes reeling back into his skull. He collapsed onto his knees and then his stomach, falling unconscious. Kace watched as golden energy moved down his body, retracting his wings and horns. 

. . .

Collin found himself lying in an unfamiliar bed. He rose only to fall back down with a painful shudder. Breven was sitting in a chair nearby, reading from a rattan book. He hurriedly tossed the book aside and flung himself against Collin’s bedside. 

“Oh, thank the gods you’re alright!” Breven yelled. 

“What…happened?” Collin asked.

“Well…I think Kace better explain that,” Breven said uneasily, rubbing his bandaged arm. 

Animus and Kace both rushed into the room. 

“Do you feel alright?” Animus asked hurriedly. 

"Enough about me. What about you all?” Collin asked more urgently. 

“Marques came and helped me carry you three back to his home,” Kace explained. “Apparently, he knows quite a bit of healing magic since many of the performers get small injuries during practice.”

“Animus and I might have gained a few more scars, but we pulled through just fine,” Breven said. “But you-”

“-You weren’t injured, but you’ve been asleep for several days,” Kace explained. 

“What?” Collin said breathlessly. “I remember the twins…Breven and Animus collapsing…but then it all gets fuzzy…

“You…became something else during the fight,” Kace explained uneasily. “It was almost as if…Razarith took over your body.”

Collin glanced down at the rune. 

“Raz,” he ordered firmly, the rune sparking. But the little dragon refused to come out. 

“I don’t understand…” Collin panted. 

“I might be able to explain,” a warm voice chimed from the doorway. Marques entered the room carrying a tea tray. “I knew someone who was bonded once,” he said, passing around the tray. “Something similar happened to them.”

"Could you tell me about them? About the curse?” Collin inquired desperately. Marques sat at the edge of the bed, folding his hands between his knees. 

“I used to have two friends who came from regal families. We had all gone to school together in the King’s city. My two friends, Emilia and Aaron, were very much in love with each other. But their love began to become blinding. They could only see one another as if no one else in the world existed. After we graduated, Aaron raided his father’s study and found a magic artifact: an old wizard’s staff. The staff held much power and granted him the ability to bond his soul to Emilia’s. However, as time went on, their souls began to fight for dominance over their singular body until-”

“Until?” Collin prodded. 

“They both died.” Marques sighed. “Usually strong emotions can cause a shift in power between the two souls. It seems like this ‘Raz’ wanted to help you during your fight, so he took control over your body.”

Collin glanced down at his rune and tried to summon Razarith once more. The little dragon leaped out from the rune and out onto the quilted blanket. Raz had his tail tucked between his legs, his two small, pointed ears held downward. 

“Raz, is that true?” Collin asked. 

“Yes,” Raz said sheepishly. “I didn’t know that I could do that-but once I did it was too late to turn back. I only wanted to help.”

“This is a sign that your curse is beginning to worsen. I would recommend trying to reach the Oracle as quickly as possible.” Marques advised. 

“How did you know…?” Collin began. 

“We explained everything to him while you were asleep.” Animus said, leaning on Marques’s shoulder. “We had…a lot to catch up on.”

“Plus, we didn't want him to freak out when he saw this feisty little lizardling.” Breven teased, wiggling his finger in front of Raz’s snapping jaws. 

“You don’t mind that you’re housing a dragon?” Collin asked. 

“My grandfather used to have many friends who were dragons before the Inferno War,” Marques said, smiling.

Collin smiled back weakly, slumping against the headboard. 

“Come now,” Animus said, clapping their slender hands together. “Let the boy rest. We have a lot of traveling to do,” they ordered. Everyone rose and began to flood out of the room slowly. 

But as Collin watched Kace’s back walk through the doorway he cried, “Wait!”

Kace turned around and stepped back into the room. 

“Did you need something?” he asked gently. 

Collin stared down at the blanket, his face flushed a rosy pink. 

“I just…don’t want to be alone right now,” Collin said softly. 

Kace grabbed a chair and dragged it next to the bedside. He reached out his hand tentatively and wrapped it over Collin’s, interlocking their fingers.