North of the Frostwolf Clan's camp, inside an unnamed volcano.

Even though the surface of the earth is covered with snow, the heat emitted by the magma fills the vast space inside the mountain's belly with extremely high temperatures, and there is no room for even plants to survive on the barren rocks. But in this barren area where no creatures should have appeared, there was a huge figure lying on its stomach.

It was a black dragon.

The sturdy creature lay on the edge of the lava pool, resting only its head and forepaws on solid ground. It was enough to burn most creatures, and even dragons of other races would hesitate to burn the hot magma, which was just a bath water at the right temperature for him, and it didn't bring any harm.

The Black Dragons have the bloodline of the Earth Guardians, and the earth, the abyss, and the elements are their territory. It is an innate authority, a gift from the Titans, a power unimaginable to mortals.

— but only before their king fell.

At the thought of this, Koloris couldn't help but spread his wings in annoyance, wagging his tail, and stirring up the magma to splash everywhere. But even if there was no one else here, he didn't dare to express any objection to the leader of the Black Dragon, and could only express his dissatisfaction in this way.

He still had vague memories of the noble guardian's kindness to the cubs. But time has been too long, and the memories of the cold and tyrannical Deathwing are deeper and clearer. As long as he remembered the bloody scene when the fire-breathing claws tore apart his nest brother, Koloris was so frightened that he couldn't even make a sound.

But he still thinks Deathwing is a fool - he leads them to abandon the Titan's power without giving it a reward. What did they get? Nothing but betrayal! And when the black dragons were being hunted down by dragons of other races, Deathwing even disappeared, and he should have sheltered them instead of venting his anger on the already scarce people!

After witnessing Deathwing's brutality, Koloris was disappointed. They had waited for the return of the Black Dragon King without complaint, thinking that this fearful life could change. But the guy — Koloris wondered if he could still be a black dragon in that form — didn't care about any of that. He completely failed them.

So he sincerely missed his past self. He was far more powerful then than he is now. But since Nesario's betrayal, all the black dragons have been stripped of their former talents. The elements no longer obey their commands, and the earth and the abyss no longer listen to their calls. Things that used to be easy to come by, now need to use spells like other dragons to do it. Once the Black Dragons walked freely on the ground, and the earth welcomed them with open arms, even more comfortable than the sky. And now they don't belong to any side, and they are adrift and have no place to rest.

If only I could regain the strength of the past......

When the idea first popped into his mind, Koloris couldn't help but get excited about the prospect. He let himself think about it for a while, and then he came back to reality and began to work on the method.

No, he wouldn't want to challenge Deathwing's authority, nor would he bow down to the other guardian dragons, there was no other way to do so than to die.

But there is still hope.

Yes, as long as he can find—

Suddenly, Koloris jerked his head up and looked out of the crater in disbelief. The black dragon's eyes widened, and its nose fluttered, as if trying to smell something.

Of course he didn't smell anything. But it's just a knee-jerk move. He gathered his mind and carefully captured the feeling just now.

It's strange, and it's strangely familiar. The feeling brought back some distant memories for him, but for a moment he couldn't remember where it came from. The black dragon cautiously grasped the trace of impression, and carefully rummaged through his memory.

But soon he lost the last clues. The feeling of wonder faded quickly. Koloris shook his head in frustration, angrily spat a fireball at the nearby cliff, and then fell down again.

It doesn't matter, he'll have time. And next time, he will definitely remember.

***

Albert lifted the heavy animal skin curtain and looked out. The cold wind mixed with large snowflakes made him look confused. The paladin hurriedly withdrew his hand and slapped the snow on his head as he retreated into the warm room.

"It looks like this blizzard won't stop for a while." He said helplessly.

Sal was stirring the soup pot on the fire when he shrugged his shoulders and tapped the edge of the pot with the spoon in his hand.

"Don't be in such a hurry, man. Drektar said it was a weather change caused by an imbalance of elements, and it would last at least a few days. ”

"Besides, you're not trying to ......," he glanced behind him, "walking out of the Alterac Mountains with Dineen on your back, right?" ”

Albert then turned his gaze to the deepest part of the cavern. Dinen was lying there.

His face was pale and bloodless, no different from a dead man. If it weren't for the slight heaving of his chest, Albert would have thought he hadn't survived.

Dineen had been in a coma for four days. During this period, Albert frequently tried to treat him, but the effect was not significant. The healing techniques he mastered had an extraordinary effect on external injuries, and could not do anything about mental injuries. Drektar also boiled the decoction according to the ancient method, but the specific effect was not discernible. Fortunately, Dining's condition has not deteriorated, he has only been unconscious, and his body is very healthy.

As a result, Albert had to stay in the Frostwolf Clan for the time being. At the behest of the old shaman, an orc gave up his cave so that they could have a place to stay, and generously provided food and daily necessities. But they naturally won't let each other pay for nothing. Thrall had decided to wait until the snow stopped, and then he would go hunting so that he could reward the other party accordingly.

"If Dinen wakes up by then, I'll come with you." Albert turned back to the fire, but instead of sitting down, he stood with his arms crossed.

Can't go out, the only way they spend their time is to chat and fight each other. This kind of life is really boring. Albert was inevitably impatient. His patience was not good in the first place, not to mention that Dining's state did not improve at all, which also made him quite anxious. Sal, by contrast, was more peaceful, he had never had freedom in Dunhold, and he had lived in such a cell when there was no gladiatorial fighting, so he had become accustomed to it.

"In that case, you can pick up a bow and practice." He kindly suggested, "After a heavy snowfall, there will be many animals coming out to find food, and bows and arrows are more convenient than traps." ”

Albert accepted the suggestion and turned to get his bow and arrows. As he picked up the quiver, he saw a slight twitch from the corner of his vision of the man lying there quietly. His heart tightened, and he immediately straightened up.

This is not the first time. At first, they thought it was a precursor to awakening, but in fact it was a reflection of a nightmare, and the damage to the gods could easily bring negative emotions and memories, and Dineen was inevitably deeply involved in it. Albert didn't know exactly what he was dreaming about, but the occasional roar and dreaming carried chilling hatred and pain. Whenever this happens, he summons the light in an attempt to give him a little comfort. That's the only thing he can do.

Albert cautiously placed his hand on Dineen's forehead. A warm golden glow spread along his palm. As he moved, Dineh's expression softened, but he didn't calm down. The paladin stared at the hand that was still scratching the ground, and called out slightly hesitantly: "Dineh? ”

—as if hearing some order, the eyes that had been closed for a long time opened suddenly.

"Dineh!"

The boredom in his heart was suddenly swept away, and Albert instantly left everything else behind. He stretched out his hand and shook it in front of Dining's eyes, and asked happily and worriedly, "Are you okay?" ”

The golden pupils followed his hand twice, and finally turned around, staring at his face in silence.

"He doesn't seem to be awake yet?" Sal said confusedly.

Truly. Dining's gaze was scattered and dim, completely lost its former brightness. He didn't seem to have figured out his situation, and he looked at them at a loss. It took a long time for the eyes to slowly gather.

“…… Albert. He spoke slowly, his voice weak and tired, "Thrall." ”

"I almost thought you wouldn't wake up, mate." Seeing him regain his senses, Albert breathed a sigh of relief.

Dineen looked like he wanted to nod in response, but immediately stopped moving. He frowned slightly and hummed softly.

"It's okay." He said with difficulty.

But he still looks terrible. Sluggish, slow to react, tired eyes, and completely incapable of understanding and thinking. Despite this, he stubbornly kept his eyes open, not wanting to go back to sleep. Albert could understand the choice just by counting the number of times he cast the Light, and there might be more before he knew it. So neither of them offered to let him rest a little longer. Instead, I tried something else – like a refreshing herbal tea.

It's quite effective.

Dinen perked up a bit. At least his reflexes improved during the conversation, but he remained silent when Albert told him about the experience of the day and the fact that they had to stay here for a while, except to turn his eyes and look at him when the paladin mentioned that he had rushed over to wake him up, to make sure he was not hurt.

Albert naturally wouldn't tell Dineen that he had crushed his shoulder blade in pain that day, anyway, the injury had healed, and there was no need to worry about his partner any more. He spread his hands to signal that he was all right, and Sal nodded in agreement. Di Ning didn't have the strength to delve into it, so he simply said hard.

"It's nothing." Albert waved his hand.

He endured and endured, and finally couldn't hold back his mouth: "I know you're in a terrible state right now, partner." But if you don't mind, can you tell us what the hell is going on? I mean, what did the elemental spirits tell you, and how did you become a shaman? ”

It was as if Dineen had just remembered this. He was silent for a moment, his eyes suddenly turning angry.

But before he could say anything, the corners of his eyes twitched. At the same time, there was a roar in the direction of the doorway, and Albert and Sal quickly turned around in shock, and found that the fire in the center of the cave had exploded, burning extremely violently without external force, quickly devouring the surrounding fuel. The pot that had been on the fire was blown up to the door, and all the broth inside was spilled on the ground, frozen into ice cubes by the cold wind that slipped in through the cracks.

Albert understood the situation almost instantly. He turned around and grabbed Dineh's shoulder, pressed his hand on his forehead, and hurriedly said as he cast the holy light, "Relax, brother! It's okay, it's safe here, we're all here, don't be nervous! ”

The face that had been twisted by the pain finally calmed down with his comfort, and almost at the same time, the flames, which had no fuel but were still burning, were extinguished. Despite accepting the fact that Dineen was able to control the elements, Albert couldn't help but sigh in his heart at this miraculous change.

"You've got to keep your emotions in check, Dineen." Thrall put his hand on his shoulder on the other side and reassured, "Whatever this power comes from, it is up to you to control it, not it to control you." ”

Dinen accepted his advice, though his eyes were still gloomy. He whispered, "I hate the will that others have imposed on me. ”

Sal and Albert looked at each other suspiciously, but neither of them questioned it. Obviously, Dineen was resistant to this, and they didn't have much to say.

In the end, Dineen only explained that. The outburst had made his condition a little worse, and Albert felt it better to let himself quiet for a while. And they went to salvage the pot to see if they needed to prepare the barbecue.

"I'll leave it to you here," said Sal, "I'll go find Drektar." I think he should have the right herbs there. ”

Albert glanced at the sluggish Dinein, sighed and nodded, "Okay." ”