It's been two weeks since Friks has been practicing with Ramala the Great Oracle, and he's made very good progress. Friks can now cast different kinds of magic powers that will be very practical and useful for him when he fights his enemies later on. All of this is thanks to the guidance of Ramala. Beside that, Friks who is now determined to forge himself stronger and be able to play the role of Star Archer as soon as possible.
The thing Friks most wanted to do on this floating island was to try to ride the dragon on the hill at the end of the island. The dragons had their own habitat and never left their hill.
"You know, Friks, the dragons don't really know we're here," Ramala explained when Friks expressed his desire to see the dragons up close.
"They don't know? But don't we both live on this floating island?"
"That's right, but they're actually locked in a transparent cage and have their own dimension. We are outside the cage and can see them, but the dragons cannot see us. It's lika a barricade as one way mirror protecting them."
"Is that why they never visit this glass palace? Because they are really in their cages?" Friks concluded.
Ramala gave him a thumbs up.
"Ramala, will I be able to ride a dragon one day?" Friks asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"I have seen that the knights of Aeros have strange mounts. They look like horses and wheeled vehicles, just like on Earth, but there are some knights like Kaytrin who ride these big geese. What makes them different?"
"A riding animal that resembles a vehicle is an animated vehicle. Usually for practicality, and also used by high-ranking knights for their mounts. It shows how strong they are and how skillfully they can use magic. But it's not a necessity, as sometimes warriors and wizards prefer something natural. Mounted animals that don't need to be harnessed are sometimes much better because they have a life and a bond with the rider. This is not the case with vehicles made with magic," Ramala said.
"For the Star Archer Knights before me, what did they ride?" Friks became curious.
"Dragons, of course! That's why I raised them. And you're right, one day you will use a dragon as your riding animal. But there is one condition."
"What is that condition?"
"You choose which dragon will be your mount, and vice versa, the dragon must choose you as its master! That way, it will be easier for you to create a bond between the mount and the master," Ramala explained.
"How will I know which dragon will be my mount?"
"Oh, you'll find out later."
Aside from being curious about the dragons' habitat, Friks was also curious about the upside-down waterfall that seemed to be the center of the floating island. Instead of falling down, the waterfall floated in the air and then turned into water vapor that merged with the thin air.
Then there was a very large tree in the front yard of the Glass Palace. It was so big that Friks, who sometimes practiced under it, looked like an ant.
Tonight, Friks, who somehow woke up and could not go back to sleep, went to the big tree. He sat under it and looked at the beautiful floating island. Ramala was an excellent sorceress, at night she had cast spells on rivers, dozens of rocks and even tree trunks, making them glow and work like a lamp. So Friks was not afraid to get lost in the dark or to step on a rock.
Friks sighed, crossed his legs, put the starbow on his chest and concentrated. He knew that he had to be able to communicate with the Star Bow and make it a part of him. So he often secretly talked to himself, or rather, talked to the Star Bow he wore in his left arm.
"Star Arc, can you show me where my father is now?" Friks said in a quiet voice.
There was no answer, just a light breeze rubbing Friks face and neck.
Friks then closed his eyes and tried to meditate, hoping that this way he would be exhausted and fall asleep. Friks stayed in this position for a while until he was startled and opened his eyes.
"Oh my God! Where am I now?" said Friks in amazement.
Now Friks seemed to be in space, Aeros and Earth were visible in front of him.
"Is that Earth and Aeros? It's beautiful and really like two twin planets that are very similar to each other!" Friks muttered.
Even though he did not know why and how he had ended up in this space room, and especially since he could breathe easily. Friks took the opportunity to stare at the amazing view of the two planets, and that's when something bright and shiny shot towards the two planets at high speed.
"What was that? Is it a meteor or an asteroid? It's so big, uh, could it be the planetoid that people are worried about, especially the inhabitants of Aeros?" Friks swallowed as he realized what he was actually witnessing.
Indeed, it was a planetoid approaching Aeros and Earth at a very high speed, seemingly in a straight line.
'Booom!' Like a billiard ball hitting two other balls, the planetoid hit Aeros and Earth simultaneously.
Now Aeros and Earth were shattered, exploding and becoming dust in the vast and lonely space.
"Noooo...!" screamed Friks, who saw a terrible sight before his eyes.
Aeros and Earth were shattered by the impact of the planetoid. Then, out of the destruction, Friks saw two large, black hands with sharp claws emerge and crush the remaining pieces of Aeros and Earth.
"Is that the Dark Lord?" asked Friks, seeing the horrible face of the person who had crushed Aeros and Earth.
"Do I have to face this person and fight him?" Friks felt very weak and fragile.
"Friks, wake up!" someone's voice reprimanded him, shaking his body.
Friks slowly opened his eyes and saw Ramala standing in front of him.
"Why are you screaming, Friks? Did you just have a bad dream?" asked Ramala.
Friks looked to his right and left, then sighed and nodded. The night had turned to morning. He had fallen asleep and had had a nightmare moments ago.
"Right, it was just a dream. A very bad dream!"
Ramala looked at Friks closely, "You dreamt while using your starbow?"
Friks nodded, "Yes, I wanted to ask about my father's whereabouts. But I fell asleep and had a very bad dream."
"Friks, if it's true that you had a dream shortly after using the power of your Star Bow. Then I guess it wasn't a dream, but a vision shown by your Star Bow," Ramala said.
***