I woke up to find my teacher gone from our cave. All that was there was some ink. Thankfully, he had taught me how to use divination spells, and I would be able to use the ink to track where he hopefully was. My teacher, Ventus, had made quite a show of our lessons. They all certainly were... Unique. I had no reason to believe this wasn't another such lesson, although it was quite disconcerting to see him gone. My wings were not fully developed to the point that I would be able to fly with them for reasonable periods of time. I began running as quickly as I could towards his location. I may not be a good flier, but my running speed is pretty close to Ventus' flying speed when he's not using magic to accelerate himself.

Ventus has always been such a great teacher to me ever since I obtained my powers. I don't think I'd be anywhere near as well off as I am without his guidance. I began to remember the first time that I had met him; he was perhaps the only dragon who had accepted me as one of his own. Since I wasn't born a dragon, the others would always regard me with scorn, but when it came to him, he looked at me as if I was one of his own kind; an equal. Neither of us held any delusions that I had any power comparable to his, yet at the same time, he was still always patient and willing to mentor me. Neither of us were the large towering dragons you tend to hear about; in fact, we weren't much larger than humans. Sure, some of us reach behemoth sizes, but for the most part, dragons aren't that big.

I sensed that there was a large castle ahead. Before I had gained these draconian powers, my ability to sense things was extremely limited, but with Ventus' training, I had become what my kind would have considered a master, even though it is still rather weak in comparison to him. As I ran up to the castle, I could see strange characters on it, as if someone had written on the walls. There were three towers, and the structure was far larger than any dragon I had ever seen. As I walked up to the doors, I found that they were locked, revealing that the owner of the place had no intention of letting me inside.

I was more and more curious now as to the nature of this test. Ventus had not been too keen on teaching me to fight, much to my dismay. I had seen dragons fighting for sport and truly seeming to enjoy it. It was so interwoven with their culture that I lamented my inability to participate in it. Regardless, I believed in his judgement. If he believed in this, then it must have been the wisest choice.

Suddenly the doors threw themselves open. What was most apparent about the creature before me were the clothes he was wearing. They appeared to be an over-dramatic style that jumped right out of the middle ages. Underneath a black overcoat, I could see a long robe reaching down to his ankles, adorned in a pattern of squares, alternating between two different colors; yellow and purple. Slowly trailing my gaze upwards, I found myself staring at a golden medallion in the shape of an ink well, pinned to a cravat. Clutched in his left hand was a silver pen that emenated a strange smoke, making it appear like a quill. In his right, he held a finely bound book, decorated with strange symbols and trimmings. Only when I found his face did I realize what species he was; a black panther. He stared intently at me with his two golden eyes and a smug grin. It was then that I decided that he looked absolutely ridiculous.

Intently, he opened his book and began to write in it; his next words being what I assumed what he was writing. "Two warriors appear before you and quickly bear their swords down upon your frame." I had almost no time to react, but thankfully my hardened scales were able to block their swords. I stuck them out in front of me to block the blows from hitting anywhere more sensitive. The man then recited, "That which their swords have struck become unable to move as long as they are within contact." I instantly realized that I was now unable to move my arms. I was in trouble if he summoned anything else. Thinking quickly, though, I sprouted a secondary pair of arms. My training in shape shifting had allowed me to do this. I thanked Ventus for his protection, even though he was unable to hear me. The hands that I had sprouted swiftly pierced their chests and clutched onto their hearts, pulling the still beating organs out, though not for long as they, and the bodies they had previously inhabited, exploded into a burst of ink. Acting quickly and remembering the location of my opponent, I rushed through the frenzy and grabbed onto his book. I pulled back my other hand, intending to strike a decisive blow, my heart pounding in ecstasy at the sudden rush of having this creature's life at my mercy. The predatory thrill had worked against me, however, as he jumped back, landing against a wall. This time I had him for sure.

"One hundred guardians of this castle arise, intent on slaying the intruder to ensure the progresses no further," were his next words. It took me a moment to realize, but the strange symbols on the walls must have been his sudden narration. He vanished immediately after, back into his castle, no doubt, as the hundred warriors appeared before me. I cloaked myself in shadow, a trick that Ventus has taught me in order to escape from fights. The soldiers had been unable to see me; clearly they had been poorly written. I was quickly able to snipe them from the shadows without them noticing. I may not have been skilled in offensive magic, but I was still able to fight. Dispelling the barrier around the castle, suddenly I was able to sense Ventus once more. He had linked our bodies in a form magic tying our fingers with a red string. I had felt the string that tied us, but I was unable to tell where it led while the barrier was still up, but now with its disappearance, I was able to finally pinpoint his location.

My enthusiasm to find my teacher had been renewed. I strengthened my fist into something hard enough to break open the doors. They fell to the stone floor with a crash that resounded throughout the structure. It hurt my ears to listen to, but my desire to find Ventus largely drowned it out. I kept assuring to myself that he was here and that I must find him at all costs. I ran through twisting hallways and passages, up and down stairs to locate my master. No greater desire existed in my heart than to find him at this moment. I came across a room with strange circular bars from the ground to the ceiling. Cages! They had my master in a cage! How disgusting and humiliating for someone as grand as my master to be locked up like some sort of animal. Curiously, I wondered why my master had yet to use any of his abilities to escape. My faith that this was just another test of his began to waver and I worried that he might truly be in danger. It wasn't long before I found his cell.

He was wearing a strange device that surrounded both of his arms. Quickly, I broke down the door, careful not to hurt him. Even though his hands appeared to be confined in this device, although it was supposed to be my first priority, I had been terrified that something might have happened to him. I wrapped my arms tightly around him, nuzzling his chest, as he returned the gesture to the degree that he could. I sprouted a spike on my back that would allow him to cut through the binding, still not willing to release him from my embrace for fear that I might lose him again.

"Master Ventus," I told him, the tone of my voice betraying the relief that I felt within my heart, though that had been shaken long before now, "I'm so glad I found you! What has this horrible man done to you?"

"I am alright, my dear fledgling," Ventus reassured me, "I believe they were trying to sell me off. I knew that I would be fine with a student as talented and dedicated as you." My tail curled around my leg in a sign of my embarrassment. It had been so strange to hear him refer to me so fondly, though I wasn't quite adverse to it. My heart fluttered with joy at the thought that I could be so precious to someone like him, though now wasn't the time to focus on these details, which became apparent when the writer crashed into the scene, ruining what had been such a beautiful moment. He began to write, this time reading aloud as he scrawled into his book, but nary a word had been able to leave his lips before my master was upon him. His wrists were bound by Ventus' magic.

"You may have been able to capture this Aether Dragon off guard while he was asleep," he scolded, "but to assume you could do so while I am awake is the pinnacle of arrogance." Quickly, he shoved this man through a portal to a location that I could not fathom. It was a merciful fate in comparison to what he should have done.

I collapsed within my master's arms, too exhausted to go on further. While the running had not taken much out of me, using my powers was strenuous. He carried me stoically out of the castle in his arms. I wasn't quite exhausted enough to pass out, just to have trouble moving. My eyes never left him; I was grateful to have someone such as him. I was worried that would not be the last we have heard of the writer.