“The truth of this moon?” Franz asked. “I thought this was just the place that Nubleans came for their coming of age ceremony.”

  “It did become that, but that was not the original purpose of this moon,” Holoss explained. “We now call the moon The Great Trial, and most assume it is a reference to the trial young Nubleans go on, but that is only half the truth. The original name of this moon was Eckta, for the mother of dragons. This moon was once one of the homes of dragons. The name was changed much later on.”

  “I mean, that’s fascinating and all, but I don’t see why all of that is important,” Franz replied.

  “You really are bad at this patience thing,” Holoss chuckled. “I think it is important for you to know this before I move on. It is especially important for Lutz.”

  “Yeah, Franz, it’s important for me,” Lutz teased before he stuck his tongue out at Franz.

  “Fine, I’m sorry,” Franz sighed. “I won’t interrupt again.”

  “Good, I’ll continue then,” Holoss replied with a grin. “After the Nubleans and dragons came to an alliance, this moon became shared between the two. Dragons mostly lived here, and Nubleans who bonded those dragons had to go to certain sites on this moon as a trial. Even dragons who did not have bonds performed these trials as a coming-of-age ceremony. These trials were the start of the Great Trial.

  Eventually, the trials stayed the same for dragons, but all Nubleans came to this moon for a simple survival trial. Then, after the alliance was broken between the dragons and Nubleans, the moon’s name was changed to The Great Trial to break away from the dragon origins of the moon.”

  “Whoa, so this place is like my home?” Lutz asked with wide eyes.

  “You could definitely say that,” Holoss replied with a grandfatherly smile. “But the history lesson is the least important thing I have to tell you. Those trials that the dragons took were not just ceremonial. They had to venture to shrines dedicated to the four founder dragons of Eckta. When visited, it was said that wisdom was bestowed upon the dragon and its bonded partner. This wisdom would aid them in developing their abilities.”

  “So, if Lutz and I visit these shrines, we could become stronger?” Franz asked. “Why are you just now telling me this?”

  “That is exactly correct. In this book is the information that will help lead you to these shrines,” Holoss replied as he placed his hand on the book. “As for why I am just now telling you this, I had to be sure I could trust you. I wanted to make sure that you were not just some wild and selfish pirate.”

  “I wouldn’t bond with someone like that,” Lutz interjected.

  “I know that now, but I just wanted to be sure,” Holoss said as he stood up from his chair with a groan. He then handed the book to Franz. “I want you to complete these trials, no matter what. They could help us in the upcoming battle, but even if you are not done by then, I want you to continue.”

  “Are you sure? I’m sure that we could be of help. That sounds like a huge risk to me,” Franz said as he took the book.

  “There are more important things than the fight ahead,” Holoss said as his eyes narrowed into a serious expression. “This is one of them. This is important for you to do for the legacy of all dragons. Can you do this for me?”

  Franz looked back at Lutz for a moment. He never expected that he would be thrown into something so important. Not only that, but Lutz had become an important part of his life so quickly. If anything, he had to do this for Lutz. He deserved to obtain the wisdom of his people. Franz gripped the book tightly before he turned his gaze back to Holoss.

  “Yes, I can do this,” Franz nodded. “But it’s for Lutz.”

  “Good answer,” Holoss smiled as he placed a hand on Franz’s shoulder. “I knew you could be trusted with this.”

  ***

  Franz gathered some supplies. Attached to his belt were a variety of tools and his weapons. He placed enough power bars to last him a month in his storage. He did not want it to take that long, but he did not want to risk anything. After Franz made sure all his gear was fully charged, he and Lutz took off into the forest. They figured that the forest was the best place to start since they both had experience traversing it.

  “Maybe I could play with some deer while we are here,” Lutz suggested as the pair entered the forest.

  “Is that what you call it? Playing?” Franz chuckled.

  “It’s not too different from tag,” Lutz said.

  “I don’t think the deer would agree,” Franz sighed. “But I don’t think you should be playing, regardless. We need to find these shrines as quickly as we can.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Fine,” Lutz pouted. “This better be worth it.”

  “I think it will be,” Franz replied. “Maybe you can unlock your dragon’s breath.”

  Lutz’s eyes lit up at the mention of his dragon’s breath. “Ooo, I sure hope so. That would be so cool!”

  “Exactly, so let’s focus on our goal,” Franz said as he looked forward into the forest. “The book said that the shrine should be in the heart of the forest. So, we just need to keep walking in that direction.”’

  “If dragon’s breath is in the mix, then I’ll be good and not play,” Lutz nodded with a smile.

  Franz chuckled to himself and continued forward through the forest. He took the lead while Lutz followed behind. Periodically, Franz generated the book from Holoss into his hand in a flash of blue light from his digital storage. He flipped through the section about the forest and tried to find any hints on where they should go. The book did not have a specific map; instead, it gave out some details for the reader to figure it out themselves. Franz figured that finding the shrine was part of the trial, so the book did not want to give away the specifics.

  Franz felt like the book was mostly useless. The two biggest hints from the book were that the shrine would be at the heart of the forest and that life would grow more numerous near the shrine. He wondered if that meant plant life or if they would encounter more animals as they grew closer. It could even be a combination of both. Regardless, it did not feel like that great of a hint, and he kept moving forward through the forest.

  Plant life did become denser as the pair walked through the forest. Trees grew closer together and more wildly. The settlements were all on the borders of each habitat, so it only made sense that the plants would be denser further away from the settlements. Eventually, Lutz had to sweep at trees with his tail. His tail cut through trees easily and created a pathway for the dragon. Loud echoes resonated throughout the forest as the trees slammed into the ground. Franz hoped that they did not attract unwanted attention, but it was the only way the pair could continue forward. The tops of the trees had grown so dense that Lutz could not fly overhead if he wanted to.

  The pair continued forward, and Lutz had to continuously smash through trees. As the forest grew denser, Lutz had no choice but to break through the trees every few steps. Eventually, the energetic dragon’s breath started to grow heavy. Franz was shocked to see Lutz start to get tired. He had always been so energetic that Franz almost assumed he had unlimited energy.

  “Can we take a break?” Lutz asked in between heavy breaths.

  “Sure, that’s no problem at all,” Franz replied with a gentle smile.

  Immediately, Lutz fell to the ground with a loud thud. The dragon opened his mouth wide as he let out a yawn. Franz could not help but chuckle at Lutz. It seemed to be his first time experiencing some sort of exhaustion. Franz then sat down and leaned his back against Lutz’s body.

  Soon, Franz heard the sound of light snores from Lutz. The gentle rhythm of his breathing rocked Franz’s body back and forth slightly. Franz glanced over at the dragon’s face, and the usually energetic dragon looked at peace. It was a reminder that Lutz really was still just a child.

  As Lutz napped, Franz flipped through the book. He had mostly browsed through it to get an idea of their destination before they left. So, he did not get much of a chance to really study its contents. It was a whole book; he figured there had to be some sort of useful information in it.

  Franz did find that the book was an interesting read at least. It was written by a Nublean bondholder. The specifics on the actual journey were vague, but the bondholder wrote about his relationship with his dragon and the differences the pair went through during the trial. Apparently, each of the two would gain abilities as they advanced through the trial. Once the trial was finished, they would gain an ability that truly represents their bond. The abilities presented themselves differently for every person who went through the trial, but the final ability always involved both the dragon and the bondholder.

  Apparently, the author’s dragon was around the same age as Lutz. He was an extremely reckless ice dragon. The stories about the dragon’s recklessness comforted Franz. Lutz was mostly playful but not too reckless. If the author and his dragon could complete the trial, then Franz concluded that he and Lutz should not have a problem.

  Franz shut his book and returned it to his storage space. He looked over Lutz with a smile before he gently ran his hand down his body. Franz almost did not want to disturb Lutz’s nap, but he knew that they needed to push forward. After Franz finished petting Lutz, he pushed against Lutz’s head.

  “Five more minutes,” Lutz said in a sleepy voice. His eyes were still closed, and he seemed to barely be aware of what he was saying.

  “We have to get going,” Franz said as he nudged Lutz’s head once more.

  “So sleepy,” Lutz stubbornly responded. He lifted his head slightly before it collapsed back on the ground.

  “Don’t make me get mean,” Franz said in a more serious tone.

  “Ugh, fine,” Lutz said as he raised his head, his eyes barely opening.

  “You never know, maybe we are close,” Franz tried to reassure Lutz.

  “You have no idea if we are or not,” Lutz shot back as he stood up. He then stretched his front legs forward as he stuck his bottom half in the air.

  “You are way too smart for your age,” Franz chuckled. “But we’ll never get there if we don’t continue.”

  “You’re right,” Lutz nodded with a sigh. “I have to work if I am going to get this dragon’s breath.”

  “Exactly! Think of the dragon’s breath!’ Franz replied with a smile.

  Lutz shook his body back and forth violently as renewed energy came through him. Then he swung his tail forward. His tail came like a colossal whip and smashed through several trees. After the trees fell to the ground, he jumped over them and smashed through another group of trees in his way. Lutz’s tail swipes came one after another as he forced himself forward into the forest.

  “Are you coming or what?” Lutz called back to Franz as more trees fell to the ground. “We need to get to this shrine, so I can get my cool new powers.”

  Franz chuckled and followed behind Lutz. “Don’t worry, I am coming.”