After that little toast, Darbi had decided to go to sleep, followed by some of their sisters. Soon the others were gone too. In reality they only moved a few dozen meters, just far enough to not be disturbed by their siblings, and then they went to sleep. Soon only Maldor, Kotaru, Kialandì, Haku and Raeghal remained. The first three were constantly engaged in observing the sky studded with stars and kept muttering among themselves; apparently Maldor had indeed attached great importance to Kialandì's words that perhaps there was a simpler explanation to the movement of the celestial bodies, and now she was observing them as if she expected that they would give her the answer. Kialandì since she was the direct interested had wanted to participate, and also Kotaru for some reason had wanted to join them.
Rhaegal and Haku however had stood to the side, and had finished eating the last remnants of their meal. They were watching their sisters, curious about their behavior. "Should we tell him to stop?" Rhaegal asked. "I think it's just a waste of time"
"No, let them do it. Who knows, maybe they'll discover something useful. Even if I too think it's a waste of time" Haku answered.
Rhaegal looked a little surprised. "Really? I thought you might be interested in the question, since you are constantly looking for answers to the most varied questions"
"It interests me, but I have too little information to be able to make judgments. Besides, the movement of the stars isn't a risk for our survival" Haku replied. "When we're safe, then I can focus on solving it. But for now, I prefer to use my mental energies for other problems"
Rhaegal's face darkened. "Yeah... soon you'll face one of the most dangerous challenges of your life" he murmured. "Are you really sure you can defeat Carrion?"
"You know I can't predict the future, Rhaegal" Haku answered. "According to my calculations, I have a one hundred percent chance of winning, but we both know how unpredictable fate can be"
"I know. It's just… urgh. I hate that you have to take such a risk" Rhaegal said. "I don't like that you challenge a legendary level"
"You know I've prepared for everything"
"Nevertheless I can't help but be worried. I wish I was there with you when the time comes"
Haku nodded and sighed. "I know, but you also know that it's better that you lead the other front. And by the way, thank you for volunteering"
Rhaegal let out a snort. When Haku would face Carrion, he would be busy coordinating attacks to free the various prisoners scattered throughout the Baudonia City Alliance. Rhaegal knew that Haku wanted him to do it, because he was the best person for the job; moreover, since he would have had to move a lot, it would have taken a few days to reach the battle site, which would have caused an increase in the times that apparently, according to Haku, they could not afford. As a result, it made much more sense if Rhaegal was on one thing and Haku on another. Although Rhaegal hated the idea of separating from his brother in such a delicate moment, he was aware that Haku was sure that his plan couldn't fail, and above all that Haku considered him the right person for the task that he wanted to entrust. Therefore, he had decided to volunteer. He hadn't waited for Haku to ask him because he knew for sure that he never would.
Even though the two had promised each other to start over, to build a new relationship, they had discovered that it wasn't so easy. Once the initial joy of having found his brother had passed, Rhaegal had begun to feel a little fear towards Haku again; as much as she tried not to show it, and as much as she knew her brother had changed, she couldn't help but look over her shoulder in his presence. Besides, she hadn't even fully forgiven him for his act. In the same way, Haku had become much more cautious towards him and partly also towards their other siblings: it almost seemed as if he was trying to avoid asking them to do anything, as if he feared that by doing so he would return to command them as he used to. Haku absolutely didn't want what had happened once to repeat itself; he didn't want to experience the horrible feeling of abandonment again, he didn't want to have a crisis again and above all he didn't want to hurt one of his siblings again. Although he had remained a brilliant strategist capable of exploiting everyone's potential to the maximum, he had become hesitant to do so, and when he did he was very courteous in asking for their help and if the brother or sister he asked refused he immediately stopped do so, instead of trying to push him or her to be brave. In Rhaegal's case, Haku even avoided asking him anything: he limited himself to explaining his plans by making his intentions clear through subliminal messages and, if Rhaegal agreed, he volunteered.
Both Haku and Rhaegal knew that this situation couldn't last forever, but neither of them knew how to fix it. Every day they tried to behave differently, but promptly failed. It was as if the horrible experience they had gone through had created some kind of wall in their heads that prevented them from doing as they wished. The scars of their wounds still burned. So, in the end, they had mutually agreed to put off the matter until the plan was completed and everyone was safe in the Thul Oasis. Even if that wasn't a solution but just another avoidance of the problem, they hadn't been able to find another way forward. This time, 'change direction' hadn't worked. The two dragons had discovered in spite of themselves that overcoming the obstacles of the mind was much more difficult than overcoming those of the real world.
"I'll leave tomorrow" Rhaegal said. "I have already selected all the necessary soldiers and I have chosen the suitable boats for transport, and I have studied a route that will lead me to the various destinations in the shortest time possible. I have no reason to wait any longer, especially considering that we have little time available before let the summer end. Tomorrow morning I will ask Misune if some of the ex-slaves are willing to come with us as healers, and then I will leave"
Haku nodded. His brother had a point. It was best to not delay patience further.
However, then his brother said a sentence that shocked him. "I want to go using my real body"
Haku whirled around. "Why? It's dangerous"
"I know"
"And you have no reason to. You'll still have to use your avatar ninety percent of the time, at least as long as you relate to the newcomers in the cities"
"I know"
"And your body is huge. It will be a waste of space"
"I know"
"Then why do you want to do this?"
Rhaegal sighed. From a logical point of view, his decision was foolish and meaningless, he knew perfectly well. But he didn't care. "I want to try to do like Darbi. Yes, in short... I'm tired of talking to newcomers, or at least those with whom I have a good relationship, only with my avatar. And I don't like that they have to take risks while I I'm safe here"
Haku grunted. "Are you talking about those five adventurers?"
Rhaegal nodded. "Me and that guy, Efren… I think we've reached a kind of friendship by now. We spend a lot of time together and drink in a tavern every time we're in a different city. And that other one, Carlos, is fun too and we're pretty close. And also with the girls… Sarah, Lisah and Martha… I think I have a good relationship. I wish I could interact with them more deeply, I want to be more… yes, you know, me. Not just through a body which is not mine. Not with a false face. I want when I talk to them they see my horns and my scaly face. So… I want to try, I want to take this little risk. After all, that's not the point of participating to all this resistance front? Being able to maintain and deepen the few friendships we have?"
Yeah, that was definitely the goal, but certainly not at the expense of their safety and survival. That was what Haku wanted to answer him. But he didn't. "Okay" he said, lowering his head. "If that's what you want and you've thought about it, then go ahead. Just…be careful, okay?"
Despite the 'victory', Rhaegal did not feel happy. He knew that his brother hadn't accepted because he really believed in his idea, but because of the fear that gripped him. For a moment, a brief moment, he had almost hoped she would get angry and tell him that he had made a ridiculous and incoherent decision. Maybe he should have told him… he should have told him that he wanted him to tell him that… but in the end, he didn't say anything either. "Thank you, brother. Glad to have your support. I didn't want to part with you in anger, seeing what happened… last time" he said. "I promise you I will take all possible precautions. And please, you do the same. Even though I know that you are fully capable of defeating any enemy... Carrion is still dangerous, and when I return I want to see you in one piece"
Haku nodded. "Me too" he replied with a smile. Then suddenly his mouth dropped open and his eyes seemed to widen, and his gaze moved rapidly upward.
Rhaegal didn't understand that behavior. "Brother? What are you..." he tried to ask, but then he felt silent when he looked up too.
In the night sky, among the thousands of stars, streaks of light were appearing and darting with extreme rapidity, faster than any bird or dragon. They looked like flashes of light that lasted just a couple of seconds before vanishing. Or rather, they looked like…
"Shooting stars!" Maldor's voice shook Rhaegal and Haku out of their stupor. "Did you see them? It's them! They're shooting stars!"
Haku and Rhaegal gaped. So that was what was happening. They could hardly believe it; they'd heard of it from Maldor, but seeing it in real life was entirely different. The stars were actually falling!
Rhaegal and Haku were so busy staring up at the sky that they almost didn't notice a silver blob quickly pass by them running towards their sleeping siblings. "Hey, wake up!" Kialandì yelled, starting to push everyone to bring them back from the world of dreams.
"Ugh... sister, what are you..." Darbi murmured sleepily, but Kialandì grabbed him by the horns and pulled his head upwards. It took Darbi a few moments to understand what was happening, and for a moment he thought he was still dreaming, but then he understood that it was all true.
Kotaru ran to wake the others up too, though she avoided doing it in Kialandì's exuberant manner. "Wake up, quick! There are the shooting stars! There are the shooting stars!"
"Shooting stars!?" Tikka exclaimed standing up and looking at the sky, followed by several others. Everyone gasped in surprise as they saw the rapid flashes of light that continually appeared in the sky.
It was an incredible sight. The stars appeared suddenly and then fell at a very rapid speed, leaving behind a luminous trail that vanished after a few seconds. There were many of them, and they appeared in all places and directions. "It's beautiful" Darbi whispered. "Do you think if we chase them, we could find the place where they fell and pick them up?"
"No one has ever found a shooting star, at least in the history of newcomers" Maldor answered. "But they did find some craters that appear to have been left by some very large shooting stars when they crashed into the ground"
"Wow..." Rhaegal murmured. "So the star just dissolved?"
Maldor shrugged. "Nobody knows. The basic idea is that they fall so fast that as soon as they hit the ground they shatter into extremely small pieces, to the point of being almost invisible, which in turn quickly melt due to the strong heat generated by the impact"
"You said comets are even brighter, right?" Teramon asked looking at the sky in ecstasy.
"Yes, and they can remain visible in the sky for days or weeks" Maldor answered. "But they are rare. Generally one appears every a few hundred years"
"It doesn't matter, we're dragons. We can wait even a thousand years" Haku said smiling. "If the show is even as good as this, then it's worth waiting to see a comet"
His brothers and sisters nodded. They sat there for nearly an hour, admiring the stars that continually fell from the sky, and almost vied with each other to see who could see the most. Seeing that magnificent sight, everyone admitted in their hearts that no matter how dangerous and cruel the world they were born into was, it could also be truly wonderful.