Collin had dreamt of his sister, mother, and father. He dreamt of their home on the hillside, surrounded by wildflowers. But in an instant, the dream had turned into a nightmare. Fire engulfed the land, choking the air and poisoning the soil. In the distance, a mountain-like figure loomed. It lowered its reptilian head to Collin’s eye level, blood seeping from its scales. 

“Do you wish to live, boy?” the dragon had asked, its voice ancient and menacing. 

Collin looked down at his hands and chest, slick with crimson. Life was fading from his body, slipping through his fingertips. An overwhelming fear, the likes of which he had never known, shook him suddenly. 

“Yes,” he had answered weakly. With the last of both their strengths, the boy and the dragon met hands. A blinding light blossomed from the contact, engulfing them both. 

. . . 

The dream faded as Collin regained consciousness. He awoke in a stone dungeon with iron bars. Lanterns were lit on the wall across from his cell, providing dim firelight. Collin leaped to his feet, throwing himself against the bars. 

“Hello!?” he cried, his voice echoing into the darkness. He slumped down to his knees, reaching for his wrist only to touch metal. He peered down to find the rune covered by a tight, metal bracelet. He tugged and pried at the bracelet, hitting it against the cell bars, all to no avail. 

“Raz…” Collin called quietly, staring down at his wrist. “No…no…” he sobbed. “I’m sorry, Raz. This is all my fault. I just…wanted to trust someone again…wanted to love someone again.” Collin curled into himself, holding his knees close to his chest. 

He could hear Breven’s voice in his head, “Don’t give up! Fight with honor, or don’t fight at all!” 

Collin raised his head wearily from his knees and sniffed. 

He could faintly hear Animus scolding him, “We’re meant to shine, darling. Don’t let the world hide your shimmer.”

Even Polly’s voice rang in the back of his mind, “Are you really just going to sit there and mope? Come save us already.” 

Collin got up to his feet, wiping the tears from his eyes. 

“I do have people I trust, and that I love,” he said. “And I don’t want to lose them, not again.” Collin focused all of the magic he had inside him down to his wrist and into the rune. The metal bracelet began to glow a bright, hot orange. Steam hissed loudly as the bracelet began to melt from the heat. Finally, the bracelet burst from his wrist, freeing the rune. 

“Yes!” Collin yelled triumphantly. 

Raz burst from the rune with a puff of smoke and embers, clinging to Collin’s chest. 

“Collin!” Raz sobbed. “I-I could hear you but there was nothing I could do! I couldn't reach you and everything was dark!”

“It’s ok, I’m ok now,” Collin said tenderly, holding the little dragon between his hands. “We have to go find the others.”

“Except that lousy half-wizard! I cannot believe what he did to you!” Raz snarled, smoke shooting out from both his nostrils. “If I ever see him again, I’ll spit a fireball his way!”

“Before we passed out he said something about a ‘deal’. It sounds like he was tricked into thinking none of us would be hurt, and that he’d get something in return.” Collin said. “That doesn’t forgive what he did, but I do want to know the full story.” 

Raz nodded, climbing up onto Collin’s shoulder. 

“Alright. I’ll hold off on any fireballs for now. How are we busting out of here?” Raz asked, flapping his wings excitedly. 

Collin walked to the bars and peered around the dim hallway. He spotted a ring of keys hanging from a hook against the wall. 

“Do you think you could grab those?” Collin asked. 

“I think so,” Raz said unsurely. “Our souls being tied together means I can’t get too far away from your body. But it’s not too far.” Raz hopped off Collin’s shoulder and squeezed out from between the bars. He ran across the stone floors, his claws clicking loudly on the tiles. He unfolded his wings and began to flap them violently, barely lifting his body from the ground. 

“What’s wrong?” Collin whispered. 

“I-I’ve put on a few pounds since we bonded,” Raz said sheepishly. “It’s all of those treats everyone gives me all the time! There’s a price to pay for being adorable!”

Raz dug his claws into the wall and began to climb up toward the keys. He grabbed hold of the key ring, swinging from it. Suddenly, the door pushed open with a loud creak. A guard stood in the doorway wearing baggy, navy clothes with a silver chest plate and elbow pads. 

“Oh, you’re finally awake,” the guard said with a smirk. 

Collin’s gaze was torn between the guard and Raz who was still struggling to hang onto the key ring. 

“An escort is coming to bring you and your friends to the King’s city.” the guard explained. 

“My friends have nothing to do with this!” Collin yelled. 

“They helped a fugitive evade capture, and knowingly aided a dragon. Both of which count as acts of treason toward King Unasus himself.” the guard said. He reached over and grabbed the rings off the hook. “I thought I left these in here. Wouldn’t want you using any of your tricks to escape Shared Soul.”

Raz clung to the key ring, his body going stiff. 

“Oh,” the guard said, tilting his head down at the keys. “I didn’t know the Guard General was a fan of accessories.” he chuckled, poking Raz with his gloved finger. Raz stared unblinking, freezing his limbs in place. “It’s cute. Maybe I should ask him where I can get one.”

“A king is not cute!” Raz roared, flying off the key ring and clinging to the guard’s face. Raz bit down on the guard’s nose, digging his small fangs into his skin. The guard yelped, flinging the keys across the dungeon floor and in front of Collin’s cell. 

“Collin, take the keys while he’s distracted!” Raz yelled, clawing at the guard’s face. 

Collin reached through the bars, grasping at the keys. He managed to loop his fingers beneath the ring and pull them through the bars. He unlocked the cell, racing toward the dungeon door. 

The guard had managed to pry Raz from his face, tossing him against the wall. But just as he began to recover, Collin struck him across the face. The guard spun on his heels a moment before collapsing. 

“Raz!” Collin yelled. Razarith lifted himself from the ground wearily, limping slightly. “Are you ok?” Collin asked, scooping him up into his palms. 

“I’m alright,” Raz said. 

“You did well,” Collin said sweetly, petting the dragon’s head between the horns. “I hate to ask, but I wish to borrow your strength once more,” he added. 

Razarith nodded, turning into a dark vapor that traveled up Collin’s arm and back into the rune. Collin stood, wings stretching out from his shoulders, as a pair of horns protruded out from his skull. They were not quite one or the other, neither Collin nor Razarith, but a combination of mind, body, and soul. 

Without hesitation, they opened the dungeon door.