A sword was brought down harshly over top of my head. It was aimed at my shoulder. I countered it and fought back, pushing the person back with all the might I had within me. Anger was clearly written on his face as he was being pushed back with my assaults. They had clearly underestimated my abilities with a sword. I had been taught well. But I was not going to let myself become cocky. I knew I needed more training, far more than what I have been put through. But there was something about the anger in the man's eyes before me that stirred something dark behind my breastbone. I felt satisfied to know that I was doing far better than what he thought of me.

My point was proven as I tried deflecting another blow, but my wrists gave out at the sheer force, and the sword slid easily down my own, causing a small cut to form on my arm. It wasn't anything serious. But as I was going to fight back, Naxan's growl emitted through the air as he pounced on the man who assaulted me.

I huffed, glaring at my dragon. "Naxan, we're just training." I stepped in front of my dragon to observe him. His hot breath fanned the hair from the man's face as he directed his anger towards him.

"Hurt twoleg," He growled menacingly.

I rolled my eyes and showed him that the wound was already healed. "I'm fine. You're not supposed to interject in these training sessions." I told him sternly. I was acutely aware of the audience around us, watching as I spoke to such a beast of a dragon in my tone of voice. I could imagine how it looked. Such a small person scolding such a large dragon. It probably looked crazy from other's points of view.

Naxan growled one last time before he turned to look at me with a softness in his eyes. I shooed the dragon away from the paralyzed man underneath him. He looked from me to the dragon frightfully but accepted my outstretched hand as I pulled him to his feet.

Naxan glared at the man I was training with as he sat on the outskirts of the training arena. The other dragons around him made space for him. Some flew a further distance away in a frightful fit. Naxan didn't bother to look at anyone around him, his gaze was focused on my training partner and me. The man did not like the attention of my dragon on him. I could visibly see him squirm as he tried to get into a ready position. I sighed, knowing that he would not continue on while Naxan was glaring at him.

"Okay, Benjy. I'm up." Kayne said as he walked towards the man I now know as Benjy. I could see him relax, nodding towards Kayne as he took his place. Kayne stood before me with an unknown look on his face. I could see humor in his eyes, as well as something else. Pleasure? Respect? I couldn't tell.

I made myself at the ready, and he followed suit. He watched my every movement. His eyes wandered over every inch of my body, causing involuntary trills of heated ice to course through my body. He was very analytical.

I made the first move, our swords clashing together as we moved with one another. He was graceful with his movements. Crackling energy surged through him as he met each of my blows. "You're a good fighter." His voice was low as he talked. Our swords met each other again. "Your moves aren't exactly predictable." He sidestepped as I brought my sword closer to his feet. "You're quick." Metal on metal clanged through the air. "And vicious." My arms jittered at the force between our swords. "Yet graceful."

I brought down my sword again. He caught it with his own, and he held it there for a moment. "Who did you say your dad was?"

Groaning, I pushed back on our swords, causing him to take a few steps away from me. "Do you do this with every opponent you fight with? I'm sure the demons don't care for your rambling."

Kayne swung his sword in his hands. It silently whooshed through the air as he circled me. "I'm just trying to figure you out." This time, he came towards me. I was defending myself from the blows he was raining down on me. He was fast and did not falter, but neither did I. I kept up with his pace, metal clanging through the air. My breath was becoming harder as I resisted the urge to hold my breath during the fight.

Whenever Alec noticed I was holding my breath while training with him, he slammed either his foot or the hilt of his sword into my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs. I couldn't count the many times I had fallen to my knees gasping for breath, but in a way, it was helping me to remember to breathe.

Our fight was ended as Kayne gave a mischievous grin before he landed me on my back. I miscalculated my movements. How embarrassing.

Kayne brought down his hand to bring me to my feet. I dusted myself off, avoiding looking up as I felt my face heat up. I could blame it on the exertion. Stupid, I chanted over in my head.

"Good fight," Kaybe breathed out. He was out of breath and his forehead beaded with sweat. I furrowed my eyebrows together, my embarrassment slowly dissipating. He looked like he had exerted himself harder than I thought he had. I glanced at the sky. The sun had moved slightly, indicating that maybe almost an hour had gone by. I didn't realize how long we had been fighting. The group around us had grown in size as I looked around the training arena. As I scanned the crowd, I saw Naxan's cool blue eyes looking at me. They were a neutral emotion, that by looking at him, I could not tell what he was thinking, but through the bond, I felt pride.

The other dragons that settled around the arena were gauging Naxan with hard eyes, not coming too close to where he was. They were still wary of his presence, and by the looks of things, they did not feel comfortable enough to be near him.

Making my leave, I went into the Academy to take a shower. I ignored the stares that I get on my back. I'm sure that they weren't nice looks; I wasn't exactly welcomed around here.

Climbing my way to the top of the stairs, I hesitated before entering the bathroom. I couldn't be afraid of this room forever. I needed to keep up with my hygiene. Reaching into the bathroom, I sensed no other presence lurking in the shadows. The slow drip of a leaky tap splashed water droplets onto the floor. There was no danger other than wasteful water.

I stepped into the shower, cleaning myself quickly. The shower was probably only a couple of minutes long before I was stepping out and wrapping myself in a towel. Exiting the bathroom, I nearly let out a screech as I saw a body leaning near the doorway.

Clutching my pounding heart, I realized it was just Kayne. I moved my arms over my chest as I became aware of how exposed my body was. Making a mental note, I would bring my change of clothes into the bathroom from now on.

"Hello?" I asked hesitantly. He seemed to be slightly distracted by something.

His eyes wandered to mine. The skin around them crinkled as he smiled. "No demon creatures hiding in the shadows this time?"

I shook my head, walking towards my room. It was close. When I get to it, I could separate the two of us with the door. "All clear." I softly smiled as I reached the door to my room. I gave him a pointed look as I opened the door and slipped inside. He stayed outside the door. I felt his presence outside as I moved around my room. I changed quickly and exited the room. Kayne was there as I thought he would be, leaning against the door.

"What time do you have class?" He asks as we made our way back down the winding staircase.

"In the next couple of minutes."

I heard his footsteps in sync with mine as I took the stairs two at a time. "Which one?"

"Something to do with our dragons. I just know I'm supposed to meet Hames outside." I was not entirely enthused about this class, especially since Hames was the instructor.

"It's probably flying lessons," Kayne said from behind me.

I snorted, pausing on the stairs. "There are lessons for that?"

Kayne nodded his head, giving me a quizzical look. "Of course. We all need to learn how to stay on the backs of our dragons."

I was debating on skipping this class, as I already knew how to hold onto Naxan when he was flying. It wasn't hard. The dragon was the one who was doing all the work. All the rider had to do was grip tightly with their legs and arms and have a decent centre of gravity.

"I would try to refrain from acting like you know everything. Hames will not be impressed," Kayne says as he sees the expression on my face.

I shrug my shoulders. "He already hates me. What's a little more to hate me by?" And with that, I continued on my way down the stairs.

"And I thought Baylen was bad for provoking people," Kayne said, his voice holding a teasing tone.

Turning slightly, I gave him a playful glare. I was going to say something that involved sarcasm, but my foot missed a step in front of me, and I fell forward. Kayne grabbed onto my arm and pulled me upright. His touch was warm and electrical through the clothing that I wore. Though my insides were screaming at the contact we made, I couldn't quash the feeling of embarrassment flooding through me. I can't believe how much of I clutz I was around him. What kind of romance novel is this?

"It's embarrassing to watch," Naxan's voice penetrated through my thoughts. "Just walk normal."

I turned around, rolling my eyes as I walked down the stairs. "Thank you for the tip, Nax." I exited the Academy with Kayne walking beside me. I spotted where I was supposed to be as I saw Hames with the first-year students and their dragons. They had grown in size over the course of my stay here. It had been just over a week since I had been here, and we were finally resuming classes. The last few days had been hectic with cleaning up the mess that had littered the Academy's grounds.

Hames gave me a look, his eyes wandering between Kayne and me. "You're late," He said before turning around to address the other students.

"By a couple of seconds," I muttered. Kayne gave me one last look before he left to follow after Baylen and a few others. I watched as he left, wanting to go with him, but unfortunately, I was stuck with the person who hated me the most here.

I was glad to see the familiar faces of the younger males. They didn't seem to judge as much when we were on the dragon island. But that's when they didn't know I was bonded to a dragon like them.

The two Airis riders were side by side, their dragons standing beside them. The white dragon with gold flecks speckling her body was dazzling to look at. When hearing of white scales, one might imagine dull because of the lack of colour. But her scales made her look elegant. Her golden horns twisted into small points that would surely grow larger with time. She would turn out to be a beautifully elegant dragon.

The one with silver scales that tinged blue was also striking to look at. When the sun hit the dragon's scales, the silver colour shone brightly. Where one Airis dragon represented a clear morning breeze with the sunrise dazzling the clouds, this one reminded me of a rough wind breaking the clouds apart as a storm brewed. He looked vicious, and he would continue to look even more so when he grew into himself.

Sige's dragon was a brilliant mesh of emerald green that moulted darker as it spread out to the tips of her body. Her expression was set into a glare as she watched Hames speak. But she was not angry at all. That was just the way her face was set, making her look like a vicious fighter. Her aura radiated calming feelings of the forest but an underlying depth of darkness where the forest held unknown creatures that were feared. I was right in assuming she would be a feisty one.

I looked at Aelric's dragon. Her blue scales looked like the darkest parts of the ocean where the light could not reach. They almost seemed to ripple with every movement she made. The ocean was trapped within her. I could feel her longing as she thought of the water she once was near. She seemed almost miserable, but she did not show it.

Their auras could not be mistaken as they stood around me. They were all different, even if they were dragons. They each had their own story and their own desires.

Their trance was broken as Naxan walked up behind me. They shrunk back slightly at the power radiating from him. "Rein it in. These are our friends, not our enemies."

As I said this, Naxan slowly brought a shield over his power with a heavy breath. The dragons visibly relaxed around us as they were no longer choking on his darkness. I leaned against Naxan's body, absorbing his warmth seeping through his obsidian black scales.

Hames gave the two of us a pointed look before speaking, "Grab a saddle and put it on your dragons."

Naxan growled, instantly hating the idea. I smiled, looking up at him as he glared at Hames. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who disliked him."No."

I watched as the others attached a saddle to their dragon's bodies. They shifted uncomfortably with the feeling of being restricted. As I watched them wither and try to get themselves used to the feeling, I grew more and more against the idea. I didn't want Naxan to feel uncomfortable. I was fine with riding on his back without a saddle on.

"Navi, get your dragon a saddle." Hames glowered as he watched me observe the others.

I looked up at Naxan, who only bared his teeth in response. "I think we're good," I said. "I've learned how to ride without a saddle."

Hames clenched his fists at his side. I saw the others watching our exchange. They didn't interject, but I could see the look on their faces as they looked at the saddles on their dragons, seeing the contemplation of my words. Their dragons were far younger than Naxan, due to him hatching years ago when my stone was presented. Having lived for many years on his own, he had his preferences and I for one wasn't going to make him conform to a life he detested.

"I think it would be better for all riders to learn how to ride without a saddle. It would be much better for the dragons as well." I said with a sweet smile.

Hames only grew more agitated. "I've been doing this a lot longer than you have. Hence why I'm the instructor and why I'm teaching you. Do as I say." His stare was hard as he observed the two of us who didn't move at his words. Groaning, his scowl deepened. "Your bonded is already a loose canon," He starts, causing a frown to form on my face. "Since you found each other years later than you were supposed to, he hasn't had the wild tamed out of him. You cannot let him influence you. You are the boss, but if you can't handle taking control of him, you are endangering everyone here."

I blinked, processing his words as I placed a gentle hand on Naxan's neck who bared his teeth in displeasure. "And you're telling me the dragons are happy with this arrangement?" I couldn't help myself. "We're bonded through our souls, acting as one entity instead of two separate beings. I may have zero schooling, and maybe that's why I can see the flaws-"

Hames shook his head, "I don't need a lesson from the likes of you." His words held venom, but this only made me raise my chin higher. "If you two cannot be controlled, there will be disciplinary actions."

"Because I merely suggested a new way of thinking?"

"Because you are just a girl playing with toys you know nothing about!"

"We should've never come here."

I held Hames' glare a moment too long it seemed. "You won't be in my class if you can't follow my rules."

"There is usefulness here. Just not him." Naxan breathed heavily.