A barrage of blasts of energy lit up the night, a large form maneuvering between their paths before they could explode. Nyla twirled and veered off to the sides, Draco deflecting whatever she couldn't dodge. He felt a surge split off into two chunks, which appeared on either side of them as they closed in like pincers. Nyla flared her wings to kill off her speed, then folded them in and dropped like a rock. The two blasts slammed into each other, and Nyla unfurled her wings to keep flying. They searched for their foe, still dodging occasional shots and firing off smaller volleys to light up the dark.
In the trees, Reku'un!
Alright... bring us low!
He moved down to her tail as she dropped, her tail glistening as Draco charged a beam. As they flew into the light woods, he aimed his hand between the trunks and fired, moving the beam into the sky to prevent it from going off near the ground. A bright flash gave him a brief moment of clairvoyance, and he spotted the quick figure running past the trees.
Right, right!
Where?
Just keep us low... when I say, swing around and swipe your tail out as far as you can!
Wh... alright. Just tell me when!
Draco stared into the dark, looking for the form he'd seen. They were right there, he could feel it. A flash filled the vision on his right, and he swung his arm out on instinct, reflecting an orb of energy back into the forest.
Now!
Nyla jerked her body around and stretched her tail as far as possible, knocking down several trees at the end of its arc. While she did, Draco leaped up and fired a beam, staggering his target enough to let him land on him. He aimed his fist at his face, grinning as he kept it cocked.
"Gotcha." Figanti chuckled softly as his nephew stood up and held out a hand, which he took and let Draco pull him to his feet. "It took a while, but Nyla learned where you were. Not so subtle when a Nera'ak can see you, huh?"
"Considering they more or less won't lose a target once they find it," Figanti laughed, placing a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "You did well, both of you. This is what you can do. You've both excelled with each other's help."
"And a bit of practice," Draco smiled, snickering when he felt his partner slap the back of his head with her tail. She grinned down at him and looked to Figanti.
Are we moving on to the next phase?
We may need to touch upon your coordination every so often, however we must move on to the next lesson of Ina. This especially will help you during combat.
Ina... using his Rites, yes?
Correct. When you two know enough, you'll be able to use it without completely draining yourselves.
Draco sighed as he sat down, rubbing his burned arm. "We'll have the night to rest, right?" he asked, smiling anxiously. "You sort of blasted my arm."
"You'll need the rest of today and tomorrow to regain enough energy to get in and out of those states, so yes." Draco smiled as he laid down, running his hands through his hair. "However, your physical training doesn't have much to do with energy, now does it?" Nyla chuckled as Draco groaned, rolling onto his stomach. "That includes you as well, Nyla."
The dragoness perked her head up and exhaled, nodding in defeat. Draco grinned at her, which she replied to by flipping him with her tail. The leader of the League shook his head with a smirk, turning to head for his dragon while they wallowed lazily.
"This planet has made him lazy," he laughed to himself. "But he hasn't lost his grit, at the very least."
He stopped suddenly and looked up to the sky, reading the foreign stars and marveling at the night sky. The stars were not nearly as bountiful as those in the sky during the night on Loki'ir, but they were just as beautiful. He sat down and removed his blade from his back, then reached into his sleeve and pulled out a holo-display. With a few codes, he opened the photo album and glumly ran his fingers over the image of a woman. She carried a child in her arms, who was playing with her dark hair, and behind them was a beautiful tree. Vines of flowers cascaded down the branches and bark, children playing in the background of the photo.
"It's been too long..." he drew a flower in the ground, placing the display in the center of it. "My nephew isn't like my brother... but then again, what Makti took after the last." He laughed softly, looking off into the stars once more, dreaming of a time where he wasn't in the League. "Yuroko is well, I hope. You've both been together for so long. I suppose I'll know my answer of whether or not we age in Her garden once I reach it. He was so serious, even as a child. Tell him that for me."
His hands shook, and he crossed his arms to steady himself.
"I'll see you again, Nazuka... but I must train him to become a Makti... and I cannot do that if I am dead, now can I?" A droplet fell from his chin, falling through the picture and onto the dirt. "I'm... I'm sorry... that I was not with you... I tried... you know I would not have forsaken you... you know that." More hit the dirt, leaving darker patches on the ground. "I was too late... I tried to reach you... I wouldn't have let them do what they did... to you or our son..." His hands felt cold, but his hands were tucked beneath his arms. "I will be with you one day, Nazuka... stay with me during the battle... we will end this war and make right for all those pointless deaths... on my word." He wiped his nose and cleaned the streaks running down from his eyes. "You're with Minira now... so I may take solace in your peace. Just... cheer him on. Minira knows he needs it."
He turned it off and stood, gazing at the sky one last time before heading to his dragon. "He can do this... you've always known, eh, Minira?"