A/N

(BEFORE YOU READ ON, I HEAVILY RECOMMEND READING THE ENTIRE A/N. I KNOW IT'S BEEN SEVEN MILLION YEARS SINCE I UPDATED BUT PLEASE BE PATIENT AS THIS WILL MOST LIKELY NOT ONLY HELP YOU REMEMBER CERTAIN THINGS BUT ALSO CLARIFIES SOME PREVIOUSLY GREY-AREA THINGS I DIDN'T REALLY EXPLAIN WELL IN PREVIOUS CHAPTERS)

Well. Hello, all. It has been quite some time. First and foremost, I would like to apologise for the wait. I have had a lot going on, including dropping Uni, getting promoted at work, pursuing a professional career in esports and so on.

I understand that Darker than Night is quite convoluted and an extended break between updates has most likely killed whatever following I still had when I last updated, as well as made it not only incredibly difficult to retain any information regarding the current story arc, but also with the entire story itself and its original premise being a wide deviation from the source material, it also makes a lot of crucial information difficult to retain for the average reader after the 8-9 months it has been since I last updated. So, I've decided to do a little thing here in the A/N for people to read that contains the crucial information necessary to read on without needing to backtrack. These categories will be split into basic knowledge, characters (including name, very short blurb, age, eye colour, principle and abilities), and current story arc information.

/ THE NEXT SECTION CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ UP TO THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER. /

Basic knowledge:

The Decree: The organisation that wishes to kill of all the Night Furies in the world. Seemingly run by someone named, "N'vara", Drago Bludvist was a known member.

Principles: Imagine the world of HTTYD had weather zone type things. Sun, Rain, Snow, Forest. Night Furies born in different Principles have their scales developed differently, causing them to have different properties seperate to their other abilities. For example, Rain principle Night Furies (Praze, Sym) can regenerate in the rain. Snow principle Night Furies (Ace) can turn their scales completely white when they are in any kind of snow. Forest principle Night Furies (Silva (Toothless), Viri) have extremely heightened senses when they are in any forest; their scales picking up the remnants of leaf transpiration which acts like a drug. Sun principle Night Furies (Hannah) can refract sunlight from their scales. (Last one actually hasn't been mentioned in the story yet, but not because of any plot point, I just simply wasn't able to come up with anything at the time I wrote about Principles ;) )

Orienting: This is the technical term used for the ability of a Night Fury to change between Human and Night Fury forms. To change from Night Fury to human, a Night Fury must take one of their scales and think that they want to change. Initially, a chant had to be used, but through training, any Night Fury can orient simply by having one of their scales and thinking it. To change back from Human to Night Fury, they must have the scale they used to change to Human (as it contains their other form) and use the same method.

Information Gathering: There is no name for this as of yet, but some Night Furies have the ability to subconsciously gather knowledge about the world through their travels. Known Night Furies who can do this: Shiro, Viri.

Alpha's Will: The ability to control other dragons as Alpha (used by the bewilderbeast). This abilty can be transferred between dragons via stronger will. Bewilderbeasts are the only dragons born with this innate power but can be hijacked (by red death, for example). It can also be transferred from the current owner by their will. Current dragons with Alpha's Will; Praze.

Characters: (Name, very short blurb, age, eye colour, principle, ability/s)

NIGHT FURIES

Silva [M]: Silva is Toothless, 24, Green eyes, Forest, ability: Conflagration (generates far more powerful flames)

Ace [F]: Silva's mate, 24, amethyst eyes, Snow, ability: Inversion (changes stamina/energy into healing power and can give/take energy/stamina to/from others)

Praze [M]: First Night Fury Silva meets in the second chapter, 18, blue eyes with purple central heterochromia, Rain, ability/s: Reconstruction (teleportation) Perception Evasion (becomes unable to be perceived by others unless already seen)

Viri [M]: Also known as Hakuryuu, Praze's older brother, 24, blue/green heterochromatic eyes, Forest, ability: Reconstruction.

Sym [F]: Also known as Symphony, Praze's twin sister, 18, red eyes, Rain, ability/s: Reconstruction, Perception Evasion.

Hannah [F]: Also known as Gold, Silva's younger sister, 18, gold eyes, Sun, ability: Peripheralisation (can use the abilities of others in a nearby radius, can see through any ability, heightened eyesight, can interfere with other abilities.)

River [F]: Also know as Ennis; is Viri's long lost friend, 24, cyan eyes, Unknown, ability: Unknown.

Claire [M]: Youngest in Viri, Praze, and Sym's family, 5, ice blue eyes with orange central heterochromia, Unknown, ability: Unknown.

Lilith [F]: Mate of Shiro, mother to Viri, Praze, Sym, and Claire, 49, dark blue eyes, Unknown, ability: Divination (can diagnose diseases, illnesses, and injuries.)

Shiro [M]: Mate of Lilith, father to Viri, Praze, Sym, and Claire, 51, white eyes, Unknown, ability: Reconstruction.

Amare [M]: Son of Saevus, of whom he wished to kill, 12, brown eyes, Unknown, ability: Unknown.

Saevus [M] {Dead}: the Sole antagonist of the first story arc, Unknown, brown eyes, Unknown, ability: Unknown.

Leave [F] {Dead}: Ace's younger sister.

HUMANS

Hiccup, Astrid: Self-explanatory.

Arc: Skilled trader, knowledgeable of and friend to Night Furies. Wife of Yoshino.

Yoshino: Skilled trader, knowledgeable of and friend to Night Furies. Husband of Arc.

Karma: Also known as Black, currently inhabiting Kyoraan, mysterious person who seems to know about/is interested in Night Furies. Skilled fighter.

/CURRENT STORY ARC/

After rescuing the Night Furies (Lilith, Claire, Amare, Sym) from the old Red Death's island (Where the Decree had created a new base and imprisoned many dragons), Praze released the stored up energy he had within himself from vowing never to use his fire again after (seemingly) losing his family, which destroys the entire base and kills the bewilderbeast (thus transferring the alpha's will to himself in the process). He recovers on his island, Amicus, alongside Hannah, where he finds out that due to the torture she endured at the Decree base, Hannah is unable to ever be a mother. Eventually, everyone is back on Berq, where a meeting is held after the information is found regarding the Decree's main base possibly being on the mainland and not in the barbaric archipelago. A team is formed to scope it out and, if possible, destroy the Decree. This team consists of Arc, Yoshino, Praze, Viri, Hannah, Sym, Silva, and Ace, and these people set sail aboard Arc and Yoshino's ship, the Pertriti. After arriving in Kyoraan, a port town at the entrance of a river that goes inland, they scope out the area by visiting an old friend of Viri's; River, who is the scribe of the town, they find out River is actually River's long-lost friend and love Ennis.

After gathering information about the Decree in the town, Sym lets down her guard on her way back the River's house and is ambushed. Almost needing to use her abilities, she is saved by a man who had trailed her from the tavern; Karma, but she has her scale (required for her to change back into a Night Fury) stolen. Finding out it is put up as a prize for a fighting tournament, Sym signs up along with Karma and Praze. Romantic tension rises between Praze and Hannah ;)

A/N

Alright, I guess that's it for now. I'll finish with the ending of the previous chapter, (as it was a bit of a cliffhanger) so that you can all get your bearings. :)

/ENDING TO PREVIOUS CHAPTER/

If you have only read the story recently, you can ignore this part. It is simply a copy-paste from the previous chapter to save time for returning readers.

Setting: After Sym has finished her fights for the day, Hannah, Sym, and Praze have been looking for a tavern to relax in.

"This is what I'm talking about," Praze said with a smile after they had entered the fourth tavern. There weren't many people around inside unlike the three others before it, which had all been packed with people from the tournament. "Only took us what, fifteen minutes?" he asked.

"Try twenty," Sym muttered as the innkeeper began walking towards them from the bar. "Should've just gone back to River's."

"How can I help you three today?" the innkeeper asked with a smile.

"Uh, how about a quiet table for three, please?" Hannah asked and the innkeeper gave a chuckle.

"Of course, will that one there be sufficient?" he asked, pointing to a corner table that was the furthest from most of the other patrons.

"That would do splendidly," Hannah replied before the innkeeper walked them over to it.

"And what would you like to start with today?" he asked as they all sat down.

"I'll just start with a water, thanks," Hannah began and Praze and Sym nodded in agreement.

"Three glasses of water coming up. If you need anything else just let me know," he told them with another smile before walking off again.

"Righto, Praze; talk. What happened out there?" Sym asked him, watching as he let out a sigh.

"Well, I told Hannah a little earlier so she can probably help explain, but I suppose I've just had a lot on my mind for quite a while in fact, some of it going back a few years, not to mention my physical health hasn't been all that good either-" Praze began but was cut off by Sym before he could finish.

"I didn't ask about why you had a breakdown, Praze, I want to know what followed it," she told him as she looked at him intently. "I can think of quite a few reasons why you might have broken down. However, when you did, it's like you were gone, your mind shut itself off to protect itself and what remained was the fighting instinct that had been drilled into you..." she trailed off, watching as he thought about it.

"That makes a lot of sense... because I don't remember anything after I snapped, and barely remember what happened when I came to again in the arena," he murmured as he scratched his chin. "I think I remember you calling my name..."

"Hold on, you came to in the arena?" Hannah asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, why?" he asked.

"That... was my fault," she admitted, not looking at him. "I know you had returned, but... before that, you looked completely different and even when you snapped to... I just felt so scared and I... knocked you out cold and took you back to River's before returning to the tournament," she murmured, the shame written all over her face. "I didn't know what to do and I didn't trust you... I'm sorry... you'd probably still be in the tourney if it weren't for me."

"It's okay Sym, don't worry about it," Praze told her with a gentle smile. "It was probably for the better, I wasn't and I'm still not in any shape to be fighting, I was stupid for thinking I could handle it and should have just trusted you could get the scale back on your own," he told her, briefly looking over at Hannah who nodded her approval, despite mouthing the word 'idiot'.

"But still-"

"Now, now, let's not dwell on it, shall we? I'm sure you're wondering now about something else rather important to my breakdown," he told her before looking up to see the innkeeper walking towards them. After a moment he'd reached the table and gave a smile, placing the drinks down on the table before nodding his head and walking back behind the bar.

"What else is there?" Hannah asked, her brow furrowed.

"What actually triggered it," he told them before letting out a sigh. "It's not like all of this pent-up stress just decided to suddenly snap right then and there, you know." Hannah and Sym shared a look for a moment before leaning a little closer.

"What do you mean?" Sym asked, slightly confused. "What would trigger you?'

"Well, this is something I haven't told you yet, and quite frankly I wasn't going to because I just thought it would upset you," he began, watching as Sym's brow raised.

"You've got me feeling worried now, Praze, what is it?" she asked. He took a deep breath before continuing.

"This happened maybe two or three years after I left; a couple of weeks after I met Silva and Ace," he began, compiling his memories. "See, at the time, Silva and I had found Ace on the shore of Amicus with a badly damaged wing. We didn't know what had happened, but soon enough we found out: a Night Fury by the name of Saevus had once raped and killed Ace's mother and killed her younger sister, before taking in Ace's scent and leaving. This was a long time ago, but before we had met Ace, Saevus had just come back to attempt the same to her. Of course, Ace wouldn't let this happen, so she had put up a fight which left her wing damaged until she drifted to Amicus' shores, where Silva and I found her.

"A few months after that, we found out that Saevus was coming for Ace once more, so we started to run. However, we weren't quick enough and he managed to catch up. While Silva and Ace were off elsewhere, I hadn't been paying attention and had neglected my training for the past few years, so Saevus managed to catch me. He told me that he wanted my friends and that I should scream out for them to come. I refused, so he punctured one of my tailfins and I couldn't help myself. Of course, Silva and Ace come running, but we couldn't do anything. In retrospect, this was the second time I had used reconstruction without truly knowing what I was doing, and just like the first time... the time I killed off our traitorous pack... I grew very weak. I had only managed to barely wound his neck before I dropped. After that, I was told that Toothless – Silva, rather – fought Saevus quite valiantly... only for him to ultimately lose. Silva was bruised, bashed, and dispirited. After smashing his head to the floor again, Saevus then proceeded to tear apart the mechanical tailfin Hiccup had made for Silva.

"I woke to this sight and was enraged, so enraged that I was able to cut into one of his blood vessels in his neck, just barely. However, doing so allowed Saevus to catch me and throw me into a wall... I can remember almost blacking out from the sheer force of it. In hindsight, I'm certain I broke a few ribs. Anyway, at this point, Ace used her ability for the first time to heal Silva up, but he was too late. Saevus had me by the neck and I was already half-unconscious, unable to do anything as he held his claws to my throat and..." he then trailed off, only then realising that his arms and legs were shaking slightly, his breath ragged as he continued. "He then t-took his claws and ran them straight across my throat."

To Hannah and Sym, it was clearly apparent that this had affected him greatly. For Praze, too, it was finally clear to him that he really had been affected by what Saevus had done.

"You don't have to tell us anymore if you don't want to, Praze," Sym spoke up. "It's alright."

"No, it's fine, Sym," he murmured quietly. "Silva and Ace stopped the bleeding after Saevus had left to go heal himself, but it was in vain; I'd lost too much blood for my heart to have the strength to pump it around my body... so I died."

"And after that was when you were hit by the lightning that restarted your heart, right?" Hannah asked and he gave a nod.

"Yeah, but I'm surprised you remembered that I'd told you that," he murmured.

"As if I'd forget about you mentioning that you'd died, Praze," she told him flatly.

"And that's what changed your eye colour, too, by burning the melanin off?" Sym interjected and he nodded once more.

"I'm altogether not too sure how I managed to stay alive after that lightning restarted my heart, considering I hadn't gotten any extra blood, but I think it strengthened my heart enough to get me going again," he told them with a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "So, to answer your question, Sym; I watched as someone's throat got slit during the tournament and I suppose I just couldn't handle it."

"I doubt that anyone could, after what you've been through," Sym told him, suddenly feeling horrible. He's gone through all that, not to mention everything that happened whenwe were separated... including what I did... how can he still smile? Sym asked herself, trying very hard not to tear up from the sadness that had grown within her. "Praze... I... I don't know what to say."

"I'm okay, Sym, having you back is more than enough for me," he told her with a smile. "So long as you're here, I'm sure I'll get over it eventually. You too, Han." Sym's eyes widened for a moment when he said that, and couldn't help but feel even more guilt for what she'd done all those years ago, despite knowing he'd already forgiven her. However, before she could wallow in that for too long, she heard Hannah's voice pierce right through it.

"Well, of course, quality bants fixes everything," she stated simply. Sym could only blink at her stupidity, letting out a huff of disbelief. Good, Hannah thought. Can't let you go blaming yourself, Sym.

"Should've known better than to expect a serious reply from you, Han," Sym told her with a sigh. Hannah grinned.

"Me? Serious? Who do you think you're talking to?" she asked with a laugh. Praze watched the exchange with his unease quickly fading. He knew what Hannah did and he silently thanked her in his head. "And what are these expectations you speak of? You're only going to regret expecting anything from me, Sym."

"Oh shush," she replied with a huff.

"Both of you hush now – why don't we get something to eat or drink?" Praze suggested. "It would probably be rude of us if we were to just come in here and do nothing but talk."

"True that," Hannah chorused as she stood from the table. "What do we want?" she asked before a grin developed in the corner of her mouth and she raised her brows. Oooh, I really want to try and get Praze wasted – that would be a sight to behold. I can't do that to Sym, though, she still needs to compete tomorrow. However, before anyone could reply, the innkeeper seemed to have sensed their interest and had made his way over.

"Now, friends, I have a treat for you," he spoke up as he stopped next to the table, holding a bottle of some type of clear liquid. "My daughter says that you were competing in the tournament and have made it to the quarterfinals, is this true?" he asked Sym, who nodded.

"Yeah, actually, was she watching?" she asked.

"Absolutely, she loves the action! The violence doesn't seem to phase her even though she's only ten," he continued as he put three small glasses on the table. "She said it was incredible to watch your fight, so I thought I'd thank you by giving you this," he told Sym, handing her the bottle. "It's a new product I just got in, called Kirsch. I haven't tried it myself, so don't blame me if it ain't any good!" he laughed as he walked away, leaving Sym and Praze to just kinda look at each other awkwardly as they thought about what to do.

"What do you know, free booze," Hannah spoke up as she sat down and took the bottle off of Sym, taking the cork off and taking a whiff. "Ooh, smells strong, probably a type of spirit," she murmured absent-mindedly as Sym and Praze looked at her.

"Uh... what are you, an alcoholic?" Sym asked her, a puzzled look on her face. "You sound like you know a lot about your liquor."

"But of course, I spent my time wisely whilst I was on Berq," Hannah replied with a grin on her face. You did not spend your time wisely whilst you were on Berq, Sym and Praze thought at the same time. "Well, I only had a look at the taverns and such maybe once or twice while I was there, so I don't really know too much. Still, I know more than you two."

"And just what do you know?" Praze asked, an inquisitive look on his face as she turned to him.

"Just a few types, as well as what tastes good," she replied with the grin still plastered on her face. "Here – try some," she said, passing him a shot glass of the stuff. After a moment's deliberation, Praze grabbed it and took a whiff of it. His eyes widened after a moment, realising what the smell was. This is...

He looked at the cup for another moment more before quickly downing the contents in one quick motion, unaware of Hannah and Sym eagerly awaiting his reaction. It was like a punch to the senses, taking him aback for a second as his eyes widened. Not long after he let out a sigh of content, happy that he had guessed right. "Well," he began as Sym and Hannah watched intently, "it's quite a shock, to begin with, but apart from that... it's a very pleasant taste of cherries."

"Oh?" Sym asked, a smirk forming on her face. "I remember when you were little, there's nothing you loved more than eating cherries."

"Oh man, that takes me back... I haven't had cherries for such a long time... though, I suppose I still haven't, but at least I've had a taste of them for the first time in a while," he murmured as a light pink began to grace his cheeks. Hannah noticed and had to suppress a smirk.

That must be some strong stuff, she mused as she poured herself and Sym a glass, and refilled Praze's. Better try some. "A toast," she announced, holding up her glass. "To Sym's successful tournament run."

"Sounds good to me," Praze chimed with a light smile, holding his glass up as Sym did the same.

"Cheers," the three of them voiced with enthusiasm before downing their respective glasses. Sym reacted to it much in the same way Praze had done, Hannah seemed to just admire the flavour without much shock, and Praze simply licked his lips and got himself ready for more of that delicious liquid. Hannah watched him as he poured himself another, silently chuckling to herself. After tasting it for myself, this definitely has quite a bit of alcohol in it, she thought, looking over the bottle.

"This is some really nice stuff – seems like we got lucky," Hannah thought aloud.

"Yeah, not bad I suppose," Sym murmured to herself as she thought. "I generally dislike the taste of alcohol, though."

"Oh?" a voice spoke up from behind Sym as both Hannah and Praze looked up at the person that owned it. "A pity, here I was hoping we could drink the night away." Sym didn't bother turning around; she was already used to his random interruptions.

"I suppose you just happen to be lodging here tonight, Karma?" she asked, turning slightly to look up at him with a bored expression on her face. "For someone that changes where they sleep every night, one might say this is quite the coincidence."

"Well, you're not wrong," he responded flatly as he looked over to the barkeep, taking his scarf and coat off as he did. "Master, can I get a whiskey please?" he called out, to which the barkeep simply nodded with a smile before Karma turned back to the three before him. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, somehow seeming out of place without the usual care-free smile. Still as careless as usual regardless, Sym thought to herself as she let out a sigh.

"Sure, I want to ask you something anyway," she responded as she moved her chair over to make room for him at their table.

"Do you now?" he mused as he dragged a chair over and sat down, almost immediately his expression changing to a far more serious one as he began to speak in a low voice. "I think you've got a bit of explaining to do before you ask anything of me, Sym. You too, Praze – I didn't see you after you lost it. Speaking of lost things... I doubt anyone's going to find the what's left of that man's skull you blew apart, either."

"Is that so?" Praze asked, somewhat absent-mindedly. "How unfortunate for him, aye."

"Praze, how many of those have you had?" Sym asked him, ignoring Karma's comments.

"Uh... I don't know, does it matter?" he asked. "Somewhere between like three to seventeen..." he trailed off, his eyes focusing on the fire that had just been started in the fireplace. Shortly after, the barkeep placed down Karma's whiskey onto the table, the latter nodding his thanks.

"He's had five, so I hardly think he's in any position to be chatting, Karma," Hannah responded, watching Praze's absent-minded state with amusement. Sym shook her head as she let out an exasperated huff.

"Well, I suppose you're going to have to put up with me answering on my idiot brother's behalf, so what do you want to talk about?" Sym asked as she turned to him. "Keep in mind that I expect you to answer a question for an answer to your questions, to keep things fair."

"Very well," he replied with a chuckle before narrowing his eyes. "Then, let's start with this: you're all Night Furies."

Without further adieu...

Part Three - #8 » Revival

For a moment, no one said anything. However, it didn't take too long for Sym's to narrow her eyes in confusion as she tilted her head slightly.

"Pardon?" she asked, looking at Karma with a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" she continued despite her mind beginning to pick apart what he'd just said. Just who or what is he? Is he a Night Fury, too? Is he a part of the Decree? Is it just some strange coincidence? What would make him say such a thing? Is he trying to see our reactions?

He simply smiled as he took a sip from his whiskey. "As the companions of the emissary from Berq, I suppose it would be somewhat fitting to call you Night Furies. In that you're quite mysterious, suddenly rocking up out of nowhere with not much known about you."

"That's an interesting way of putting it," Sym commented after a moment. "When did you figure we were with said emissary?"

"I don't know, I just kinda guessed at some point," he muttered, his brow furrowing as he looked at Praze. "Is he okay?" he asked Sym, who turned to find Praze completely spaced out.

"What are you doing, letting him have more?" she asked Hannah, who simply shrugged with a laugh.

"I don't know, I just thought it would be funny," she replied as she pulled the bottle away from where Praze could reach it.

"You're both idiots," Sym told them as she turned to Karma. "Anyway, you seem to know a lot about us, why don't you tell us more about you, huh?" she asked as Hannah stood, dragging Praze up with her.

"I think I'm just going to take this one back to River's," she told them as Praze put his arm on her shoulder. "He's probably gonna throw up at some point, too, so we should be prepared just in case."

"Oh, alright, fair enough," Sym murmured. "Be careful... I'll see you a bit later when I'm done here."

"Yeah, yeah, seeya then," Hannah replied as she walked off with a drunken Praze's arm slung over her shoulder, his gaze ever fixed upon the floor as he stared at it with unfocused eyes.

"Well?" Sym asked Karma, who smiled as he turned away from the exiting duo to look at her.

"Let's just say I think we've got more in common than you think... because I don't think you're here just for negotiating trade routes," he replied, his smile turning slightly into as smirk.

"And just what do you think we're here for, Karma?" she continued with a brow raised.

"I thought I alluded to it quite obviously earlier, I'm surprised you didn't pick it up," he murmured with a chuckle as he leant back into his chair, taking another sip from his whiskey.

There was no longer any doubt in Sym's mind.

"The Decree," she muttered simply, to which he simply smiled. "You're quite meddlesome, aren't you?" she added, taking a brief glance around the confabulation-filled tavern, her eyes taking on a disinterested tinge.

"But of course," he replied with a grin. "One must be careful when dealing with a group of savages wanting to commit genocide."

"I suppose one must," she echoed with a huff of humour. "And what exactly is your interest in dealing with these... savages? Want to get on Berq's good side?" she asked, a brow raised.

"Well..." Karma began, cracking his neck as he sat up once more. "I suppose it would be wise for every country and region to think about aligning themselves with Berq, given the enormous economic potential the island has... but no, despite it probably being a good excuse," he muttered. "I suppose you could call me someone that has an intrinsic interest in the mysterious – and at times, a somewhat troublesome curiosity."

"Quite troublesome indeed," she scoffed as she looked at him. "Surely curiosity wouldn't be your only reason for dealing with a dangerous group of individuals now, would it?"

"Perhaps not..." he trailed off as he shrugged his shoulders. "So, the stories that I heard about the Chief of Berq's... dragon riding habits... are they true?"

"Why do you ask?" Sym responded. "I would've thought someone like yourself to have already deduced such."

"Well, I've never been there, so how am I to know if there truly were a Night Fury tame enough to allow a human to ride it for years," he answered with another shrug. "Though... such stories have seemed to stop appearing as of late... any reason as to why that is?"

"Maybe he just got tired of it," she muttered, leaning her head back and stretching her arms and neck.

"Who did, the Chief? Or the Night Fury?" he asked with a smirk as she looked at him and chuckled.

"Who knows..." she trailed off with a sigh. "So, which side are you on, Victor? What do you do that requires you to use an alias?"

"I think the answer to be quite obvious to your first question," he simply muttered before he finished his whiskey with a huff. "I think Night Furies are marvellous, beautiful creatures and that anyone who wants to kill them all should cease to exist."

"And what do you do?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in scrutiny.

"Who knows," he replied with a smirk as he stood from his chair. "I think I'm going to rest up for tomorrow's match, you should too, Sym. I expect to see you in the grand final."

"So you get to know all about me but I get to know nothing about you?" she asked with a brow raised once more. "How polite of you."

"Maybe if you beat me, I'll tell you," he told her with a smirk as he turned to leave. "Besides, you still didn't answer my question about that brother of yours."

"And what about Luka?" she called out as she ignored his last comment and he stopped for a moment, turning back to her once again.

"What about him?" he asked. Sym paused for a moment, wondering if she should give out what she knew.

If it means anything at all, and Karma's not what he seems... he may very well try to kill me at some point, she thought. I should be able to handle that.

"You were intently watching him fight, despite him not being in your bracket," she told him. "I thought you had more faith in me," she continued with mock sadness. He looked at her for a moment, as if deciding what to say.

"I was simply interested in how he fought, is all," he told her. "With that, I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

She watched him wave goodbye as he turned and walked over to the staircase that led up to the tavern's rooms before quickly going up them and out of sight.

It was only there for a split second, but I definitely saw it, Sym thought. That look in your eyes, before you quickly suppressed it. There's definitely something going on with Luka... Karma has to be worried about him for some reason. Perhaps... is Luka related to the Decree?

Meanwhile, upstairs, Karma walked into his tavern room and closed the door behind him quietly, hanging up his coat before turning around to his dark, unlit room and stood there for a moment. Sym... he thought as he lowered his eyes. If the information I got from the port control wasn't reliable, to be safe... I might've needed to kill you.

In the forest not too far from the town, two people were walking quietly back to the house by the cliffside.

"Karma is really quite something... I wonder what his intentions are..." Hannah trailed off aloud as she looked up a the stars through the foliage of the trees above her. "The stars are fairly bright tonight, too," she mused. She turned back to Praze, who simply stared at her quietly with a blank face. "Praze?" she asked with a brow raised.

"You know, Han," he murmured quietly, his words slightly slurred, "your eyes are like stars."

She blinked for a moment at his comment before letting out a short laugh. "You're so wasted it's actually so hilarious, I can't believe you'd just go and drink so much like that even if you've got a better metabolism than most humans."

"They're like... bright, beautiful, golden stars..." he continued as he stared at her eyes, completely ignoring what she had said. She let out a sigh.

"Alrighty, as thanks for giving me a good laugh, I'll take a look at your back for you and see what's up with it – though I'm pretty sure I already know what it is," she told him. "Your spinal fins haven't been extended, have they?"

"No..." he muttered sadly, causing Hannah to laugh once more at how emotive he was. However, she had to stop laughing when he began to reach for scale.

"Woah, there," she said, quickly grabbing his arm to stop him. "Don't go orienting here," she told him shaking her head in amusement. He simply frowned and furred his brow before reconstructing both Hannah and himself to the sandy beach of Amicus. It was dark and windy with dark clouds swirling above, a sign that it would rain soon. "Oh, here again, eh?" she commented as she turned to Praze as a burst of white light appeared. "Oh, wow, you're actually doing it."

Hannah was clearly very amused by the whole thing.

"Alrighty, lay flat on your stomach, I'll release them for you," she told him as she grabbed her scale, quickly orienting before walking over to him. He complied and laid down, spaced out eyes watching her as he did. She then smiled, knowing what was coming, before she moved the end of her tail to the top of his spine, then pressing her tailfin into the pressure point there.

In response, his back arched and his eyes screwed shut at the intense feeling of all the pent up pressure from his spinal fins being released. At the same time, the stiffness that had been plaguing him for so long had finally disappeared. Of course, all he could do was lay back down on the sand and close his eyes, a content smile plastered on his face.

Hannah chuckled at the sight, knowing the pleasing feeling all too well. "You know, you're actually supposed to have them released while you're younger... not doing so can cause a pressure build-up, which seemed to be the case with your back," she told him as he continued to lay on the sand. She just stood there for a moment and watched him contemplatively. "... Praze..." she murmured, watching as his ear moved a little and he turned his head slightly to look at her.

"Mnm...?" he responded absent-mindedly, his pupils still dilated.

"Can you... lay on your back now?" she asked, watching as he tilted his head. "I want to have a look at your scar if you don't mind." Oi, don't cheat. He's clearly still drunk, she tried to tell herself. Too bad, she 'reasoned'.

"Okay," he murmured slowly as he rolled over in the same fashion. Mental note: strangely whimsical and compliant whilst intoxicated, Hannah thought with a smirk. When he was lying on his back, she stopped to think for a moment. It can't hurt.

She walked up to him and paused for a moment, watching as he laid his head back and closed his eyes as he breathed heavily, before she stood directly above him, face-to-face. He looked up at her and gave her a smile. "Praze, tilt your head back so I can have a proper look," she asked him and he complied. Then, when she finally took a look at it, it took her another moment to fully comprehend what it was. That being, a fatal wound.

This must have been something truly horrendous at the time, she thought as her eyes trailed down from the wound to his chest, realising that she really hadn't ever gotten much of a look at him the last time they were there. Then she found her eyes going lower...

Oi. Stop that, she told herself as she looked back up at Praze's face. She knew she was tempted. But with Praze the way he was, she was never going to be able to have any fun. He tilted his head back up to look at her once more, his eyes seeming to focus on hers as a small smirk grew in the corner of his mouth. "You know, Praze, that's really quite the nasty wound you've-" she began but was cut off by her own yelp at the feeling of Praze's tail sweep down her spine. "Praze!" she blurted out as she felt her face heat up. He could only giggle lightly in response and she simply let out a sigh as she shook her head.

All alone together on a dark, stormy night... in a position like this... she thought to herself with another sign. "You know, I'm kinda regretting thinking it a good idea to get you wasted like this, though I suppose this situation really only came about due to the fact..." she trailed off as she looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"Hm? I'm n-not drunk..." he blurted out with a frown, his words slurred. After that, Hannah then took to the liberty of putting him to sleep with a well-placed jab from her tail to his neck, having decided she'd had enough of him.

Still, I wish you could be a little more forward and unreserved without the need to be intoxicated... though, I suppose it may not be as fun, she thought with a smirk as she sat back on the sand beside him, a plain look on her face as she wondered what to do next. Then she thought of something for the first time and her eyes widened slightly. Oh, that's right. I wonder what Sym's gonna think of this...

She continued looking around the beach as it began to rain, a thoughtful expression on her face. It had been a while since she'd been able to just sit and think properly, rather than think of all the ways she could mess with people. "This rain feels nice..." she murmured aloud, looking to Praze once more, still sleeping deeply despite the rain now battering down on the two of them. Yep... I love this perspicacious fool.

"Where are they all at?" Viri voiced absent-mindedly as he sat on the lounge in River's house, taking a sip of his coffee as Arc, Yoshino, and River looked at him from various places around the living room. "Like, I know we agreed to mostly refrain from all being together too much to avoid becoming too conspicuous, but... it's the middle of the night now, you'd have thought they'd at least be here by now to rest and whatnot? And even Silva and Ace? Those two are even worse."

"Does it really matter so much, Viri?" Arc questioned, looking up from her book from the couch opposite him. "Let them do what they want and in and of itself they'll become less conspicuous."

"That's a good point," River echoed from the kitchen as she handed a mug of coffee to Yoshino, who smiled and gave his thanks. "You sure you don't want one, Arc?" she then added.

"No, thank you, but I appreciate the offer," Arc responded. "I'll be awake all night otherwise."

"How's yours, Viri?" River then asked as she looked at him.

"Good, thanks, as usual," he told her with a smile as he motioned with the mug. She smiled before turning back to the bench to make her own as Yoshino moved over to the couches and sat down next to Arc.

"Anyway, as soon as Sym has her scale we can leave for Lumione, so that's all we should be concerned with for the time being, as it's also quite important for her to get that back," he said. "Also, I'd assume they're all just curious about the outside world – they've not seen any civilisation outside of Berq, have they?" he then asked Viri, who shook his head.

"Berq is a sheltered place, too, you're not gonna get too exposed to stuff there," he said. "Well, I'm sure we'll see them soon enough, and they're old enough to take care of themselves, so I guess I don't really need to worry, but..."

"But?" River asked, sitting down on the couch next to him as she curled her legs up under herself.

"... I guess I'd like to spend a little more time with Sym, given that I only knew she existed a few weeks ago, so I'd like to talk to her and get to know her a bit better like I've done with Praze over the last few years," he replied, looking down into his coffee before he began to frown slightly. "I've missed out on so much because I left all those years ago..."

"But you've got them now, so be thankful for that, at least," River told him.

"Not to mention Claire, too... I don't think I got to spend any time with him before we left..." he trailed off before taking another sip.

"Claire?" River questioned, confused.

"Oh, Claire is my parents' youngest, he's about five or six, which is probably equivalent to twelve or fifteen human-wise, I guess," he answered.

"Well, I hope to meet him once we get back there," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder with a sigh. "For now... I'm quite tired... I probably shouldn't drink the rest of my coffee and just go to bed, actually," she added

"What do you think about this view, eh?" Ace's cheerful voice drifted across the balcony of yet another tavern, her head rested upon her palms as she stared out into the harbour.

"This is true, but it's also the last time we should do this," Silva told her with a raised brow. "We need to remember that we're on a serious mission, not just waste our time trying out every bar and the alcohol they have."

"I know, I know," she replied with a sigh. "Ever since Hannah arrived, really we just haven't had that much time to ourselves, so I guess I've just been cherishing this now..." she trailed off. Silva looked at her with a smile.

"I agree, it has been nice and I would like some more of it, but we've really got to be focused, okay? Once this is all over, we'll have all the time in the world to do whatever we want," he told her.

"Yeah..." she murmured. "Let's just hope no-one gets hurt... I just want all this to be over as soon as possible."

"So do I..."

Hannah's head shot up and her eyes opened widely, blinking for a few moments before shutting her eyes again and giving a groan as she flopped back to the ground under the tree she'd slept under. Too bright. Not enough sleep. No thanks.

"Finally awake, are we?" Praze's voice called out from the sky before he landed on the beach shortly after.

"ShutyerholeI'mstilltiredgoaway," she called out quickly, not bothering to look up. He frowned.

"Sym's match starts soon, I want to go and watch but I can't leave without you," he told her.

"Well, too bad, shouldn't have gotten yourself drunk and kept me up all night," she shot back.

"How'd I keep you up all night?" he asked, walking over to her.

"Making me think," she told him and he stopped, a brow raised in curiosity.

"Why?" he asked and she opened her eyes, a scowl on her face as she stood up and turned to him.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe-" she cut herself off, disappearing quickly before reappearing right in front of him and tackling him to the ground. "-maybe," she began again, standing above him once more, "I was looking at your scar like this last night when someone decided to run their tail down my spine!" she yelled, his eyes widening as she did, his mouth agape slightly in shock as his cheeks began to burn.

"T-That w-wasn't me!" he exclaimed in response, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward.

"It was more you than usual!" she shouted as she hopped off him, shaking her head with a huff as she walked away before disappearing once more into a blue haze. He watched her disappear, blinking profusely as he tried to comprehend what just happened. He slowly sat up on his haunches, silently looking down for a few moments. He stayed like this for a short while, just listening to the sounds of the ocean and trees creaking in the wind. It was very relaxing and helped calm his mind considerably.

What am I afraid of?

He looked up from the sand and watched as merciless waves beat the sand of the beach into submission, his eyes mesmerised by the flow of the water. He drew a deep breath before letting out a sigh.

I think it's time to stop being afraid.

Meanwhile, in Kyoraan, the town square was packed once again with enthused spectators as an announcer called out the day's matches. Sym listened from the player waiting area behind the wooden stage that the announcer would be speaking from. The previously four circular arenas had gone and the wooden blockades had been moved around to form a singular arena, with plenty of space for spectators to watch from.

On the other side of the town square, Praze walked out of one of the main streets into the sea of people, listening to the crowd roar. A few years ago I wouldn't be able to walk through these crowds, he thought to himself. I wonder if Hannah's here yet?

On one of the nearby rooftops, Hannah was indeed there, watching the stage as the announcer tried to calm the crowd down.

"Now, for our first semi-final fight of the day," the announcer began as the audience began to calm down. "We have Sym; the lithe young woman able to easily outmaneuver her opponents and end her fights very quickly!" Without hesitating, she moved forward and out into the arena at the call of her name as she was instructed, the audience's cheers growing as she did. She stopped on one side of the center, hoping for the fights to be over quickly so that they could all get out of Kyoraan and be fighting the real enemies; the Decree.

"Our other competitor is a bulky, powerful man by the name of Luka," the announcer continued as the competitor in question walked out into the arena on the opposite side. "He's rather silent but has won his fights without breaking a sweat, not without breaking any bones though; other people's bones!" he added as the audience laughed. "These two are very good fighters, and the match could be over almost instantly, so watch very carefully as we begin this first match. So without further delay... begin!"

Sym watched Luka with careful eyes, waiting to see what he would do. She expected him to attack first, considering he had a large, heavy sword to attack with where she had nothing, yet he simply matched her movements as they circled one another – both about ten metres away from one another. She wanted him to attack first, that way she could simply dodge and counter – which she excelled at – but he wouldn't take the bait. Looking at his sword once more, she deduced that it was rather heavy and, even with his strength, wouldn't be able to swing it at her so fast that she couldn't react. I need this over with, she thought as she narrowed her eyes, deciding where she was going to strike him. There, she thought. I'll deliver a direct punch to his diaphragm to bring him to his knees, then knock him out with a chop to the back of his neck. He's pretty beefy, so I should go pretty hard to make sure he fully goes down. If his neck snaps, bad luck for him, but I can't afford to take any chances, she thought as she took a step towards him, then rushed towards him with great speed, watching as he began to react far too slow.

She grinned inwardly as her fist slammed into his abdomen with great force, looking up at his face to see what she knew would be a look of intense pain, only to be met with a steel gaze as a large hand grabbed her right shoulder. His grip was like iron and it filled her with dread as she noticed his right arm held up behind him, his sword high in the air. He was going to cleave her in two if she didn't do anything. Fuck, she thought as her eyes narrowed, knowing she wouldn't be able to get out of his grasp.

The crowd screamed in anticipation as Luka then swung his sword at Sym's side, a great deal of power behind it, and she grinned as the everything seemed to blur into the background. All of her senses focused on his sword as she moved almost imperceptibly fast; catching the flat side of the blade between her raised left leg's thigh and her left elbow. Immediately after she stopped its momentum, her left arm shot out like lightning to jab into his right shoulder, causing his grip to release on the sword. Quickly leaping up and wrapping her legs around his neck, she swiftly grabbed his arm before using all of her weight to swing herself around his body and throw him to the ground. She landed deftly on her feet before quickly picking up the sword, taking a defensive stance as she watched him stand, seemingly unscathed.

All of this transpired within a mere ten seconds and got the crowd roaring in excitement at the flurry of attacks. Sym breathed heavily from the exertion as she watched Luka carefully, trying to discern what he would do next. However, before she could even think, an incredibly disturbing feeling came over her as she looked into his cold eyes. It made her freeze and drop the sword as he turned, looking out into the audience.

Hannah was the next one to feel Luka's overwhelming presence as he stared directly at her for a moment, giving her a chill as she heard the sword fall to the ground with a clang. After that, Praze, who was sitting on the opposite side of the arena, found himself to be the next one to be caught in Luka's gaze, causing his body to go rigid. W-What is this?

Sym couldn't move. Her eyes were wide, arms and legs shaking slightly as she simply stood there, her hands still held in front of her as if she were still holding the sword. The crowd's cheers started to die down in confusion before Luka simply turned away from Sym and looked at the announcer. "I forfeit," he simply stated before walking out of the arena and into the crowd until he disappeared.

The entire square was left speechless, waiting for something else to happen as the audience waited in silence, prompting the announcer to give a short cough as he walked back up to the stage. "Uh... by forfeit... the winner of the battle is Sym!" he announced, spurring a short and half-hearted set of claps as she slowly brought herself to reality and began to walk back the way she had come.

What... just happened? Sym questioned herself, almost feeling as if she was moving in slow motion. Her eyes were unfocused as her hands continued to silently tremble, the effects of Luka's enormous pressure shocking her into silence as she reached the back of the stage and collapsed onto her knees. He has to be a Night Fury. Her hands sat loosely on her lap as she stared into the forest that was behind the stage, the sounds of the crowds behind her all but blurred in the background. Was that why Karma was interested in him?

Hannah's calls seemed to bring her back to reality, causing her to turn to look at her worried friend. "Huh?" she questioned weakly as Hannah grabbed her by her arm and hoisted her up.

"That Luka guy is bad news, Sym," she told her with a stern look on her face as she began to walk Sym out into the forest. "He stared directly at me with such malignant intent – picked me right out of the crowd... I can only imagine what that must've felt like up close. Let's quickly get you back to River's," she murmured as she checked they were out of sight before she reconstructed them both.

Silva and Ace were out playing their role of inconspicuous travellers, so Hannah knew they wouldn't be there. Arc and Yoshino would be on their ship, doing maintenance to pass the time. "Here, sit down, I'll get you some water," she murmured softly as Sym began to shake her head, trying to clear it as she began to groan.

"What was that..." Sym trailed off, taking a deep breath as the heavy feeling began to fade.

"I'm not sure, but I certainly felt it too," Hannah called from the kitchen as she dipped a mug into a barrel of water before bringing it back over to her. Sym took a few hearty sips and finished the mug quickly, breathing heavily.

"He was fucking solid," she told Hannah, who chuckled at her comment.

"He took your first hit like it was nothing – I doubt there's any human strong enough to that," she echoed and Sym nodded.

"He's definitely a Night Fury, and it seems he wanted to let us know that he knew we are too," she said with a groan as Hannah sat down on the couch opposite, also letting out a groan. The two of them then sat in silence for a bit. The experience had been quite draining.

"Hey, Sym?" Hannah called out with her eyes closed.

"Hm?"

"Uh... how would you feel if... uh..." she trailed off, causing Sym to perk up.

"If what?"

Hannah let out a sigh as she opened her eyes and shook her head. "Fuck it. I love Praze, Sym."

"You... love Praze...?" Sym trailed off in disbelief as she blinked as if to try and understand.

"Yep, and I want you to be okay with that," Hannah continued.

"Han, of course I'm fine with that – I'm more than fine with that!" she exclaimed, her heart racing. "D-Does Praze know? Wait – does he feel the same!?"

"He definitely knows and he definitely does – he's just too much of a wimp to act on it," Hannah replied with a groan. "It was actually kinda my fault for his breakdown the other day. Well, I was at least a factor."

"What did you do?" Sym asked, now on the edge of the couch. I can't fucking believe it, she thought, unable to contain her excitement.

"The other night we went for that walk you might remember, and we sat and chatted about the tournament for a bit and he told me how stressed he was, I might've offered some words of encouragement and then... kissed him," Hannah finished meekly.

"You what!?" Sym exclaimed, wide-eyed as she gave a loud laugh. "What did he do?" she then asked.

"He just kinda froze and then I just left him there," she finished with a blank face and Sym let out another laugh.

"So that's why he was acting so odd that morning..." Sym trailed off before she stopped. "Wait, did something happen last night?"

"I wish..." Hannah trailed off. "He was drunk, I wasn't going to take advantage of him. He didn't let that stop him though..." she continued and Sym's eyes widened once more. Hannah quickly clarified. "He didn't do anything too bad, but while I was looking at his scar he ran his tail down my back with the cheekiest fucking grin you'll ever see. It kinda made me wish I didn't get him drunk..."

Sym watched and listened to her friend intently, her heart brimming with happiness. You've really taken to him, haven't you, she thought as she looked at Hannah and the way that she spoke. Hannah wasn't easily flustered, but Sym could tell that she was somewhat... abashed. "Did you... want me to talk to him?" she then asked but Hannah shook her head.

"He'll come around when he isn't so scared," she replied. There was another short moment of silence between the two.

"Well... this is quite... something..." Sym trailed off, at a loss for words, almost. She could even feel her eyes become slightly watery as she tried to hold back tears. "In any case," she began again, taking a deep breath for a moment before a wide smile appeared on her face. "You have my full support."

Hannah smiled in return. "I appreciate it. And hey, I mean, I already considered us sisters but I guess... might be for real, soon," she murmured with a laugh as another silence ensued. Sym let out a sigh.

"Let's just hope we get out of Kyoraan soon... we've wasted enough time here," Sym murmured as she rubbed her shoulder where Luka had grabbed her.

"It's not your fault we're stuck here for a bit, Sym," Hannah told her quickly. I'm not going to let you hate yourself again. "Getting your scale back takes first priority right now, the decree can wait."

"I was careless..." Sym continued, looking away. "I've no excuse for getting my scale stolen. I'm a Night Fury, I don't get preyed upon by mere humans..."

"Don't get blinded by your pride, Sym. There are humans with exceptional skills and motivation – take Hiccup, for example. From how Silva has described, he's far more intelligent than most humans and Arc and Yoshino are likely the same."

"You know what I mean, Han. I'm just annoyed because it was the scum of humanity that managed to get the better of me," Sym continued. "I suppose there's the best and the worst of any self-aware species."

"Exactly," Hannah continued. "You need to let it go. It's already happened; there's no way you can change that. You just need to move on."

"Ah, yes. Very subtle allusion there, Han," Sym murmured as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes with a sigh. "Well, whatever. I think I'm going to take a nap for a bit, wake me up later before the final if you could," she told her as she stood up and began to head to her room.

"Rest easy," Hannah called out after her, a light smile on her lips as she laid her head back on the couch and closed her eyes.

"Can I speak to you for a moment, Silva?"

The green-eyed man looked up from his table in the quiet, fire-lit tavern, a smile forming on his face. "What do you need, Praze?" he asked.

"Can you just come with me, please?" Praze continued as he looked over to Ace, who was sitting opposite Silva. "I'll just borrow him for a moment."

"That's fine, Praze," she commented as Silva stood up. "How is everyone doing at the moment? Do you know if we're leaving soon? We were thinking of checking back in with everyone tonight back at River's house."

"Well, we're up to the final stages of the competition... the last semi-final fight was held just a few moments ago, so Sym will be in the grand final, thankfully," he told her with a smile.

"Excellent," she commented. "Alrighty, I won't keep you. I'll just wait here," she then added to Silva, who nodded with a smile. Both him and Praze then walked outside to the balcony area, where it was raining slightly. The midday sun was finding it hard to shine through the cold greyscale.

"Alright, so what is this about, Praze?" he asked the younger Night Fury, who simply leaned on the balcony rail as he let out a weak laugh.

"Ahh, what have I gotten myself into..." he trailed off as he looked out at the grey clouds covering Kyoraan.

"Did something happen?" Silva asked, a brow raised.

"You could say that," Praze replied with a chuckle.

"Well, are you going to tell me, or what? It's cold out here, and I have my mate to get back to," he told him and Praze let out a sigh at those words.

"I'm... pretty sure Hannah is, uhh... in love with me..." he trailed off quietly.

"I know," he stated simply, causing Praze to turn and look at him.

"You do?" he questioned.

"It's pretty obvious," Silva responded. "That and she told me."

"Oh," Praze muttered.

"She also told me that she knows you feel the same but you're just being a pussy," he told him bluntly and Praze's breath caught in his throat. "Those were her exact words when she told me this morning."

"O-Oh... wow..." Praze trailed off, turning around once more to hide his heated face. Oh no. She definitely told him what I did. "Uh... did she tell you-"

"She did."

Fuck, he thought, casting his eyes down to the cobbled street path below. This is way more awkward than I was going to let it get. He wanted to melt into the wooden floorboards and disappear, and he was just about ready to reconstruct somewhere when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Silva's smiling face.

"You have my blessing, Praze," he told him before he turned and walked back into the tavern, leaving him to himself. Praze then turned back the sky and simply stayed there for a while, letting the refreshing rain wash over him.

A/N

Finally.

Thank you to all who have stuck with me and this story. I'm going to finish what I've started here. Armed with my new laptop, I really want to finish DtN by the end of the year.

If you enjoyed the chapter and would like to support the story please consider leaving a review with your thoughts and criticisms. Blatant flaming for lack of updates is not appreciated and will be ignored.

Again, massive thanks to those who've stuck around and thanks to those who have somehow found this story during the HIATUS.

Much love friends 3

See you in the next one.