"Force me?" Emory's eyes opened wide, "You mean I'll go into this state again while my body uses the necessary magik to reach fifth level, right?"
Tiamat nodded solemnly, "Yes, and it won't stop using magik until you reach fifth level or die. I have to warn you; at your current level, you will most certainly die."
"That's what I guessed," Emory scoffed, "No matter, I cannot die, so I'll just have to get it done."
"Such determination. Though you may not have known your heritage until recently, you certainly inherited our forceful will. Before we part, do you have any more questions for me?" Tiamat's figure began to flicker.
Emory questioned, "Will you still be here? I mean, can I talk to you again in the future?"
"Have you not learned Commune yet?" Tiamat sounded confused, "I suppose that makes sense since our collapse happened so long ago. Form this symbol with your magik and then speak my name." He etched a particular rune that Emory had never seen before into the grass before fading into vapor. She felt sleepy and lay on her back before closing her eyes.
Suddenly, bright light pierced her eye lids, causing her to blink several times and finally squint her eyes open slightly. Two hearty gasps cut through the still, frigid air as she refocused on her surroundings. "Ugh, am I back?" Emory coughed.
"Emory! Are you okay?" Soren tapped on her shoulder lightly, "Take it easy getting up." He helped her lean up to a sitting position.
Emory groggily asked, "How long have I been out?"
"Just over an hour, dear," Ninian answered as she bent down and clutched Emory's hand, "How are you feeling?"
"I'll be fine after a little rest," Emory said as she cleaned the blood off her face that had trickled out of her nose and ears. Ninian and Soren helped her to her feet, though she was rather wobbly.
"What was that?" Soren panicked, "Some sort of effect of the crown? Did you see anything why you were unconscious?"
Emory wheezed, "Something like that. Putting on the crown triggered an automated process of sorts. I'm still putting together all the pieces he told me."
"You saw the last king, didn't you?" Ninian guessed, "I've heard of spirits bonding to objects before but never seen it in action before."
"I did see him or at least heard him. He said I have a year to finish my progression of both my spheres or …," Emory's voice trailed off at the end but they both understood what she would have said.
Soren's eyes bulged, "A year! That would be hard enough, but you've also got a war to deal with. Can we just take the crown off?"
"I didn't ask him," Emory shook her head, "But I don't think it works like that. I feel connected to the crown now. It's fine; I've faced steeper odds before. On the plus side, these poisoning symptoms are because I gained a True Form."
"Well, that's great news! Go on, show us then," Ninian prodded. Emory stumbled a little way away, so Ninian and Soren wouldn't get caught up in the transformation. Closing her eyes, she pictured the form her magik took in the in between space and channeled her magik rapidly. A monochromatic glow began pulsing over her body and grew so bright the others had to turn away from it. When it dimmed, they slowly turned back to Emory. Soren's jaw dropped wide open while Ninian let out a gasp and covered her mouth. Before them stood a dragon on its hind legs standing nearly eight feet tall. Obsidian and pearl scales covered the dragon head to toe, and long claws replaced the hands and feet Emory once had. Two massive wings, twice as large as her angelic wings, flapped gracefully on her back, one solid black and the other solid white. Even a long thick tail, half black and half white, protruded from her backside. Although her hair had disappeared, it was replaced by scaled ears and two small horns. But despite everything, her face largely looked the same, albeit covered with scales instead of skin. Once she finished transforming, she let out a dominating roar that pushed Ninian back and Soren to the ground.
Soren whispered from the ground, "Emory, is that still you? You look like a fabled dragon but human sized."
"I can't believe it," Ninian gasped, "You look majestic and powerful beyond compare."
"Wow! I thought I knew what power felt like before, but this is truly something else. And I think I can do something else," Emory grinned widely, revealing two rows of vicious fangs. She took a deep breath before releasing a cone of fire from her mouth into the air, like a real dragon would. Suddenly she dropped to one knee and instantly reverted to her normal form. "I think I've pushed it far enough for today," she choked out, "Still, pretty cool, right?"
Ninian beamed, "Absolutely spectacular. You should be very proud. Well, it's about time you two were returning back to the base, and I should take off soon too."
"Ninian, you don't have to go anymore. I learned all the requirements from the last king," Emory panted, "Stay here."
"No, I still need to gather some information. Besides, this place will soon become a battlefield, and I would prefer to stay out of it. But don't worry, I'll still be in this galaxy if you need to speak with me," Ninian said as she rejected the offer.
"The Ancients started in our galaxy?" Soren questioned with shock in his voice, "That's incredible, even more so given how much we've explored. Good luck in your search." Ninian smiled and snapped her fingers which made a distinct popping noise in Emory and Soren's ears. One moment they were sitting on the coast, and the next they were on the teleport pad back at the base. Since Emory was still on one knee, Soren helped her to her feet again. She leaned on him as they moved slowly to the Command Center. Emory used Jask to call Gwen and Tana back to meet them there. When Emory and Soren arrived, she plopped onto one of the chairs, and he left to get her some water. Before he returned, Galle, Gwen, and Tana walked in the room and sat close to Emory who looked much more exhausted than when she left. However, they all noticed the crown on Emory's head before seeing her tired posture.
Gwen piped in first, "Emory, what happened? You look like you just went fifteen rounds in a fighting ring, and you're wearing that crown."
"I put it on to see what would happen; now we're linked," Emory cringed, "But I mastered Meta Form, so it wasn't for nothing."
"You mastered Meta Form in a couple hours? That's why you look so worn out. You shouldn't push yourself so hard, Lady Supreme," Galle bowed, knowing that he had no place to critique her actions.
"I just wanted to make sure you all understood your assignments when the first wave of the army arrives," Emory commented, ignoring Galle's remark entirely, "We only briefly talked about it before Soren and I left." As if on cue, Soren burst into the room with an empty glass and a pitcher of water. Carefully, he set down the glass in front of Emory and filled it with water from the pitcher which she downed immediately after he pulled away. This process repeated three more times, leaving the pitcher with barely a glass left. Soren turned to refill the pitcher, but Emory caught his arm and stopped him. She breathed, "I'm fine. I just need some rest."
"Just rest, Commander," Tana smirked, "We've got it under control."
"Come on, let's get you to bed," Soren tugged on Emory's arm. She begrudgingly stood up and wobbled while giving the trio sitting a deep glare.
Tana called to them as they left, "Put her in my quarters. I'll have Jask open it up for you." Soren nodded as he helped Emory out of the main building and onto the ship. Even though she was barely conscious, Emory guided him to the captain's quarters since all the ships were set up identically. Once they entered the room, he gently put her on the bed, pulled off her shoes, and tucked her under the covers.
"Thanks for taking care of me," Emory sighed, "I know I'm charging forward recklessly. But I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to have you running beside me."
"Running beside you? I'm holding onto your coattails for dear life," Soren teased as he sat at the foot of the bed.
"You give yourself too little credit," Emory stuck out her tongue, "I'm only doing ninety percent of the work. But really, I appreciate you staying with me."
Soren smiled, "Honestly, it's no trouble at all. You're an inspiring leader and a fierce friend. I'm happy I was late picking up my sword that day in the shop."
"Me too," Emory blushed as she grabbed his hand, "Unfortunately, that only makes my next statement harder to say." She paused and looked away from him as her eyes welled up with tears. "You should go back to Arcadia tonight. You have to be well rested to join the war tomorrow. I'll move the last of the ships by myself," Emory stiffly said, stifling back her tears.
"You can't be serious!" Soren stood up quickly and dropped her hand, "In your condition, I'd be a terrible person if I let you do that by yourself!"
Emory jerked to face him with tears streaming down her face and snapped, "And what kind of friend would I be if I sent you off to war in anything less than perfect condition! I'm not in any danger but you will be!"
"What if you just push off bringing the other ships here for a day?" Soren's voice got soft as he bent down beside the bed, "I'll promise to go to Arcadia tonight if you just give yourself time to rest. I care about you, Emory."
"We're out of time. You said it yourself that the Apleem are on the move, and my friends here need support now in case they come here. I won't lose them like my family," Emory sobbed.
"Then I can at least stay tonight and watch over your recovery," Soren pleaded, "If you're all good in the morning, I'll skip Arcadia and go straight to the battlefield. I can rest here just as well as there." Emory knew this was a lie, though, because Athos had taken all Soren's gear back with him when he left. That meant Soren would have to teleport to Arcadia, pick up his equipment, and then go to the fight. Even though teleporting took the same amount of magik to use no matter the distance, it was still a sizable amount, and he would have to do it twice.
Emory wiped her tears and leaned in close to Soren's face, "Fine. It's clear you won't listen to reason. Good night, Soren." She grabbed his hair and pulled him in for a kiss. A moment later, she snapped her fingers and forcefully teleported Soren back to Arcadia before he could react. Immediately, she fell back on the bed and into a deep slumber.
"I can't believe she did that," Soren hissed as he opened his eyes to look at his surroundings. Several guards were looking at Soren with wrinkled faces as he had been teleported mid-kiss. He shook his head and started walking towards Athos's residence.