“We ride alone,” Nate says firmly, climbing on the terrifying black beast he calls his own and taking off, determined to leave the newly formed team behind.

The others follow suit: Sophie leaves first, mounting her proud gold and silver dragon with all the poise and grace of a queen taking to her throne, shooting the others one last enigmatic smile before they fly off; Eliot and Parker launch at the same time but in opposite directions, marked with a brusque nod from the former and an unnerving look from the latter, and soon enough both the scarred green dragon (but with the soft eyes) and the small and sleek one (this one of a light, undetermined hue) are but specks in the sky; last to leave is Hardison, who mutters a quick: “Let’s go Lucille,” as he pats her dark blue scales, but soon enough soars higher than the clouds- and for a moment it truly does seem over.

But their departure doesn’t take: neither riders nor dragons are ready for this to be their last adventure, and so it is only moments later that Nate, the only one stubborn enough to keep flying onwards, finds four dragons blocking his path- and his escape out of their lives.