Salem felt his perspective change as Death picked up his skull and turned it to face itself.
Death's bony maw slowly opened as it drew his skull slowly towards it.
Salem returned to the blacknes of unconsciousness once more as Death's jaws closed on Salem's skull, with a loud crack.
....
"Sir." Oso's servant knocked and rushed in before Oso could say anything. "We've scoured the countryside. There is no den."
"What?" Oso demanded. "Then where the flying F*CK did it go? Huh?"
"That's what we're figuring out." Oso's servant looked down. "Our trackers are using the few footprints, both from takeoff and landing, to try and figure out where it went."
"What a pain in the ass." Oso sighed. "Anything else?"
"Yes, sir." Oso's servant trembled. "There isn't a second set of takeoff tracks."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Oso demanded.
"We've searched the countryside for tracks, dens, even feces, and yet we've only found four sets of tracks." Oso's servant felt Oso's anger growing. "We found one set of tracks that indicate that the dragon took a step with each foot, one set connected to that, that indicate it took off, the track of its singular attack, and another set of tracks where it landed. After that, the tracks lead nowhere."
"So you mean to tell me that the dragon vanished into thin air?" Oso demanded angrily.
"That is our precise hypothesis, sir." Oso's servant nodded. "We think it might be powerful to distort space."
"This is bad. This is very, very bad." Oso tapped on the desk thoughtfully. Any semblance of the fury that was written into his frame vanished. "How do we track a dragon that can teleport?"
"Our only two options are the tracks that were left by people." Oso's servant said.
"What's the other option?" Oso asked curiously.
"We could try to track the dragon based on the energy signature left by its one attack." Oso's servant said. "But to do that we'd need to pay a hefty fee to get a ritual master to do that for us."
"We'll directly hire a master, then." Oso decided. "What's the use of our coffers if we don't use what's in them?"
"I'll contact the nearest known master." Oso's servant backed out from the room.
Oso continued tapping the desk even after the servant left, lost in thought.
"Is it really a good idea to attack such a strong creature?" He wonderd quietly aloud. "It can't be more powerful than all of two cities' best cultivators, can it?"
....
Salem's consciousness swirled into a vortex of colour as his vision abruptly returned.
He was sitting on a red fuzzy blanket, facing the door that three people he recognized were talking.
"We'll be leaving if you have no more questions." Salem's father said. "We'll be back at around twelve. Make sure Salem is happy before you do your own thing, alright?"
Salem saw Callum nod his head. "Have a nice date."
"We will." Salem's mother smoothed imaginary wrinkles from her red silk dress. "Love you, Callum."
"Love you too, mom." Callum smiled, waving as they backed out of the driveway.
Callum looked at Salem and began playing with him.
Almost an hour passed in a daze as Salem struggled to process what he was experiencing.
"Callum." Salem finally broke from his daze and slowly moved his unfamiliar lips. "They won't come back."
"Wow!" Callum patted his head, laughing. "You can say my name now!"
"Callum." Salem tried again. "They left us."