While a fierce battle was being prepared on the surface, plunged into the depths of the world Drakaryon was Nozomi, unconscious but still alive, agonizing but still breathing. His body was covered with bruises and wounds, each breath a struggle against pain.
Suddenly, Nozomi slightly opened his eyes, barely able to perceive the surface or the light found there. Buried deep in the darkness, a hostile, unknown and dangerous place. The air was thick and suffocating, making each breath laborious.
After a few moments, Nozomi gathered all his courage and drew on his strength to get up as best he could. His muscles trembled with fatigue and pain. He looked around him, but in complete darkness, with no means to light up, he could see nothing. All he felt was the humid mist and the air that was difficult to breathe, as if the darkness itself was suffocating him.
As Nozomi was completely lost and didn't know where to go, suddenly a roar was heard, amplified by the echo of the walls. Nozomi, on alert and looking around him in the dark, suddenly caught sight of eyes opening in the darkness of a captivating emerald green. They were the only source of light in this crushing blackness.
Out of his mouth came a ball of plasma that he threw into the air. Producing a white and blinding light, Nozomi could finally see what surrounded him and especially the creature in front of him. He was amazed and hypnotized by the dragon in front of him, admiring as if the creature had literally bewitched him.
A dragon between two to three meters with scales as black as polished obsidian, adorned with emerald green spots reflecting with the light at the end of each scale, creating an almost magical spectacle. His eyes of a captivating emerald green shone with ancient and supernatural intelligence, almost divine. His imposing wings seemed capable of tearing the sky itself. Despite his formidable aura and threatening presence, there emanated from him a natural nobility and legendary intelligence that inspired respect rather than terror, like a creature born of majesty itself.
The dragon approached close to Nozomi. Seized by visceral fear and paralyzed by terror, he could not move an inch. His legs refused to obey him. Moreover, still unable to use his powers, if the dragon intended to attack him, Nozomi had the feeling that he could not defeat it. His heart was beating so hard that he feared it would break his ribs.
All of a sudden the dragon jumped on Nozomi, placing him on the ground with controlled but imposing force. They looked at each other directly in the eyes in the sepulchral silence of the cavern. A moment that seemed eternal elapsed. The light emitted by the plasma ball gradually weakened, plunging them back into darkness. The dragon slowly got up from Nozomi and left to his corner, leaving him alone after this more than surprising event.
After catching his breath and collecting his wits, his body finally accepted to move. He stood up, his legs trembling, and murmured in the dark, his voice weak and hesitant. "Did you save me from that fall? But why?"
In complete darkness and without other options, he tore his clothes to make bandages and then decided to follow the path the dragon had taken, hoping it would lead him to a way to get back to the surface to his companions.
After a few minutes of walking and trying to walk as best he could in the dark without getting lost, his hands tracing the rocky walls, he arrived in a large underground cavern with dozens of tunnels everywhere on the cavern walls, lit by luminescent crystals embedded in the walls. The crystals shone with soft and soothing light, revealing a vast underground space.
Abruptly, the dragon came out of one of the tunnels. As soon as he saw Nozomi, he approached close to him. Nozomi raised his hands in a sign of peace and calmly backed away, his heart accelerating. He murmured to the dragon, in a soft and soothing voice. "Hello, take it easy. I mean you no harm. I won't do anything to you. I'm just looking for a way to find my family."
The dragon who was looking at Nozomi with a piercing and scrutinizing gaze relaxed after the latter's words. He spread his majestic wings and flew to one side of the cavern, leaving Nozomi without doing anything to him, disappearing into the darkness of a tunnel.
Nozomi, relieved and with a small smile on his face, said out loud. "I take that as a sign of mutual peace." He paused before saying. "Now I'm certain: you saved my life. Thank you."
The two stayed each in a corner of the cavern, going about their lives on their own. Nozomi's objective was to return to the surface, then find his brothers and sister. He decided to take the tunnels, hoping to find one that would lead him to the surface. He chose a tunnel at random, took between his hands a crystal that diffused soft light, and then ventured into the unknown, his steps echoing in the silence.
After a few hours of frustrating exploration, Nozomi returned to the cavern after his expedition ended with no success. The tunnels led nowhere, only to other caverns and dead ends. He looked around and saw the dragon sleeping in its corner, its imposing body resting on cold stone.
Seized by fatigue, cold and hunger, Nozomi had no way of knowing what time it was. He noticed that vegetation was growing despite the difficulties, on the walls and floor. He picked up a few branches to make a fire, his fingers trembling with cold. Placed near the fire, Nozomi who was agonizing, he cried out. "I'm so hungry. Tomorrow, I absolutely must find something to eat if I want to survive," while hugging himself to keep warm.
He lay down on the ground and slept without being able to eat, his stomach crying out with silent protest.
The next morning, after a restless and poorly restorative night's sleep, Nozomi woke up alone in this same sad and isolated cavern. The sound of his stomach just after waking was enough for him to understand what he absolutely had to find. Today was his last chance to find food. Otherwise, tomorrow he wouldn't have enough strength to be able to explore the surroundings.
But as he got up from the ground, he noticed near the fire some fruits placed on the ground, fresh and appetizing fruits that were not present yesterday.
Nozomi searched for the dragon around him but did not find it, he deduced and understood directly that it was surely the dragon who had brought him food. His heart swelled with an indefinable emotion. "Yesterday, you must have heard me speak. I thank you!" he said out loud, his voice trembling slightly with emotion.
Despite being a dragon, from Nozomi's point of view, it was different from those he had encountered since arriving in this world. Despite himself, Nozomi was beginning to attach himself to this dragon, wanting to get closer and know it better. An almost instinctive connection united them.
After that, Nozomi ate gratefully and regained his strength, then he set off again on exploration, eager to find a way out.
A week elapsed without anything new. Nozomi would wake up, go on exploration then sleep, day after day. The dragon would bring him food in the morning and evening when Nozomi couldn't see him. Nozomi slept at the same time as him, it was his landmark to know when to sleep or not. A routine had been established between them, a sort of silent synchronization.
After a week, Nozomi's searches got him nowhere. He understood that it would take him much longer than expected. He changed his plans and made the decision to no longer devote all his time to finding a way out, but also to training.
Until now, he had not encountered any other dragon or danger, but if that were to happen, he would find himself in a very complex situation. Time was running out and he absolutely had to regain his powers and become stronger before Reimu's arrival.
In the morning, Nozomi trained in hand-to-hand combat, his movements becoming more precise and more powerful. After eating, he went exploring, exploring the tunnels with a new perspective. In the evening, after making fire and eating, he meditated to regain mastery of his powers for three hours before going to sleep. Such was his daily life and routine in this solitary cavern.
Time passed and even though his brothers and sister missed him terribly, he was certain they were doing well. This conviction gave him the strength to continue and not give up.
By seeing each other every day, the dragon gradually drew closer to Nozomi, always on guard, remaining wary but progressively less distant. However, one evening, while Nozomi was meditating, he opened his eyes and saw the dragon sleeping next to him, very close. With a warm smile full of new tenderness, Nozomi loved to gently stroke his head while he slept, his fingers gliding gently over the smooth and cold scales. This event became a habit that occurred every evening, a ritual of silent intimacy.
After nearly a month, the two had gradually drawn closer to each other, the barriers between them collapsing little by little. In the morning, the dragon would leave early, exploring the tunnels, but in the evening, he would return with food and sit next to Nozomi. He even helped him light the fire thanks to his plasma breath, creating a small controlled explosion of heat and light. They spent their nights together, mutual company in this dark underground world.
Even though during the day the two went about their lives on their own, they gathered in the evening to spend good warm times together near the fire, sharing comfortable silence and closeness. The dragon was no longer reluctant and showed that he had confidence in Nozomi. This feeling of trust was reciprocal. The idea that Nozomi be once again paralyzed before him was now part of the past.
As for Nozomi's training, he arrived at an important and painful conclusion. It was impossible, in his current state, to create harmony between his two cores. His core that came from elemental power was far superior to his original core. So he changed his perception and, instead of creating harmony that was impossible, he decided to create a balance between his two cores so that each of them could coexist at the same time.
He started with a very simple diagram that he imagined by himself, placing his core in the center and his elemental power core spiraling all around. For this, he had to deform his core, restructure it entirely. But his new strategy was bearing fruit. Nozomi felt less and less pain and suffering, as if the diagram he was trying to implement allowed him to establish an internal balance so that he could use his powers again.
However, despite his strategy gradually being implemented, a blockage persisted, a mental blockage present for a very long time. A much deeper wound that persisted in healing, refusing to heal. Nozomi understood that to heal this wound, he would continue to move forward with fear and his power would not manifest under these conditions. It was a deep emotional knot that he had to untie.
Fortunately, the dragon's company allowed him to go through these difficult trials. It allowed him not to think too much about it and to lift his spirits, to pull him out of the whirlpool of his dark thoughts. One day in front of the fire, while the dragon slept near Nozomi, he murmured out loud in the silence. "Nyx."
The dragon stood up and turned his head towards Nozomi, looking at him intently, intrigued by this strange name.
Nozomi, surprised and delighted by the dragon's reaction, with a big warm smile, he told him. "Do you like it? I've been looking for a name for you for a while. What do you think of Nyx?"
The dragon jumped on Nozomi and licked his face enthusiastically, as if to tell him that it made him very happy. It was his way of communicating his joy.
"Not the face!" said Nozomi, laughing, once he got up. While gently petting him, he told him. "That's good. From now on, I'll call you Nyx. That's your name, now."
Since that night, they became inseparable. Nyx spent the entire day with Nozomi, no longer leaving his side. He no longer disappeared every morning. Instead, he stayed with Nozomi, watching him while he trained, even participating in his exploration phases. A deep and sincere friendship had been forged between the human and the dragon.
It had been almost two months that Nozomi had been stuck in this cavern and his research had not advanced much. However, his training had borne fruit. The diagram he had imagined, he had managed to implement it. A core spiraling with a second core at the center, creating a delicate but stable harmony. He understood his power better now and also how to use it, at least in theory.
Unfortunately, even if in theory Nozomi had understood the secret of his two cores, in practice, it was still impossible for him to fight. The mental blockage persisted, refusing to give way.
One evening, while the two young friends relaxed in front of the fire, the warmth of the flames creating dancing shadows on their faces, Nozomi asked Nyx, in a soft voice tinged with curiosity. "Nyx, have you always lived alone here? I've already told you about my brothers and sister, but since I've been here, I haven't met any other dragon. I wonder if you've always grown up alone, forced to fend for yourself since birth."
Nyx lay down near Nozomi's knees and said nothing. His sad and empty gaze, almost melancholic, was enough to answer Nozomi's question. The silence spoke louder than any words.
He extended his hand and gently caressed Nyx's head, and in a sad, calm and above all soothing voice, he whispered to him. "You're no longer all alone now. I won't leave you alone anymore. I promise you."
Nozomi, since his arrival in the world Drakaryon, had encountered dozens of dragons, but none of them resembled Nyx. He was small in size compared to the average size of dragons. Yet the aura and power he emanated were nothing less than the most ferocious dragons they had faced. The most shocking was his intelligence. He did not act by instinct like a wild beast. He analyzed, reflected, made conscious decisions. He was endowed with very great intelligence, almost superhuman.
But his first quality remained his generosity. He had saved Nozomi once, brought him food daily when he didn't ask for it and even watched over him during his sleep. Nyx was a more than surprising dragon. Since Nozomi had been in his company, his vision of these creatures had changed completely. Like a link that had been created between the two, Nozomi felt deep within him the desire to stay close to Nyx and this feeling was equally reciprocal on Nyx's side.
To console Nyx who was depressed, his green eyes reflecting a certain sadness. Nozomi sang a song to cheer up his companion. Hearing the soft and melodious words, Nyx was surprised and raised his head, his ears perked towards the source of the sound. Nozomi continued singing, a big smile on his lips, his pure voice echoing in the depths. The words echoed in the walls of the cavern and spread through the tunnels, creating a magical echo.
It seemed to amuse Nyx because he bounced around and roared with joy, it was as if he was dancing, his movements clumsy but full of life. Nozomi, who was also having fun, stood up to dance alongside Nyx, the two creatures, human and dragon, dancing together in the light of the crystals, creating a moment of pure happiness in the darkness.
In these complicated moments, the two had helped each other to overcome this ordeal, creating an unbreakable friendship. Meanwhile, on the surface, Kael and Harris were watching the orb of dragons in the distance, ready to fight if the worst should happen. While Aria and Shinrei were running at full speed in search of help from the dragons of the kingdom.
Hoping and awaiting Nozomi's return which would be of great help for the upcoming battles—unaware that he was alive, far underground, fighting his own demons but finding the strength to continue thanks to a new and unexpected friendship.