Here is the next part of our tale~ As always this was written with A.I. assistance and I hope you enjoy ! ^^

We learn a bit about Zephyr's past and a new power and...potential threat ??

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It had now been two weeks since you and Zephyr arrived at this crystal dragon kingdom. Phoebe has been adjusting to the palace just fine, and she even helps you with research on the crystals and the potential whereabouts of the rest of the team. However Zephyr has been very distant lately, he won't come to dinner and everytime you see him he rushes off somewhere else without any explanation. You knew this wasn't like Zephyr so you decided to confront him alone.

You found him wandering the halls late at night. You didn't need a lantern to make out his figure in the dim lighting. He was sitting against the wall near the kitchen door; he seemed to be lost in thought. You walked up behind him but he seemed to snap out of it and looked up at you. "What are you doing here?" he said. His voice was soft as usual but there was an edge in his tone that caught your attention.
"Couldn't sleep," you replied, "what about you?" You stood next to him and he looked away again.
"Same."
There was a moment's pause before you spoke up again. "Zeph...are you upset about something?" You could hear how uncertain you sounded.
He turned to you and shook his head before looking back down. You let out a heavy sigh before saying "Look I know something's wrong, but I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"I just want to be alone right now..." Zephyr sounded slightly annoyed as if he didn't want you to keep probing him but you persisted. "Too bad, I'm not leaving until you say what's up with you. You haven't talked to anyone, you keep missing dinner and you've been sneaking around the castle. I just--" you were cut off by a low growl from Zephyr which shocked you.
"Don't yell at me!" He snapped suddenly standing up. "Why do you always have to get involved? Why are you being so damn persistent? Can't you leave me alone for once?!" He yelled at you. There was a loud clattering sound followed by an angry gasp that echoed through the hallways.

"I wasn't even shouting ! I just wanna know what's wrong with you !" You shouted in return which made you feel a bit bad but Zephyr's hostility was unwarranted. Smoke came out of Zephyr's nostrils, and then he flew to the garden as fast as he could go. You had never seen the dragon fly that fast, but you wanted answers whether Zephyr liked it or not. You ran after him through the corridors.
The both of you ran into the garden where there was a large pile of rubble scattered across the area. The dragon was crouched over the heap of stone, shaking with rage and breathing heavily. You approached slowly, unsure what to say or do. The fire that erupted from the dragon's nostrils scared you a little bit as his tail lashed and his teeth exposed. This was one of your friend's temper tantrums and you did not expect to witness such a thing. Suddenly the dragon stopped and lowered himself into a sitting position, staring down at the ground with a blank expression on his face. He didn't seem to notice you yet. Slowly and quietly, you moved toward him and sat next to him. After another minute passed you couldn't stand it anymore, "Are you okay?" Your concern was genuine. The response to this question was silence.
"Zeph...please talk to me...it's me, (Y/N)." Zephyr finally looked at you as you gave him a small reassuring smile. You took a deep breath before continuing. "I know something is wrong...is there anything I can do?" you were genuinely concerned but Zephyr still didn't answer. Then you hugged his tail tightly and for some odd reason you were practically in tears. Finally Zephyr broke and told you what was wrong.

"It's...It's everything Y/N !! Being the Crystal Tailor, Saving a kingdom, Finding out friends ! It's too much and I don't know what to do !" He was starting to cry too and held his clawed hands in front of his face as he cried, trying hard not to hurt himself. You wrapped your arms around him as well as you could and pulled him in close. Zephyr didn't seem able to hold himself together and you felt his body shudder uncontrollably as he cried. You could tell that he was having some kind of anxiety attack. You tried your best to console him. "Why didn't you say anything bud ?" You asked and Zephyr just looked at you and wiped away his tears "Because I'm afraid of what others may think...The King is counting on me, Phoebe and the others are counting on me, and I know you enjoy doing research and exploring this place..."
Zephyr paused for a few seconds before adding "and I wouldn't want you to stop because of me." He buried his head in the crook of your neck and continued sniffling. You stroked his scales softly and said "Zeph...No one is forcing you to do all this. It's okay to be overwhelmed and if you don't wanna keep going we can always tell the king and he'll let us leave. Then we could figure something else out." You sighed and looked Zephyr in the eyes. "I am sorry if I made you feel like you had to do this to make me happy."

Zephyr replied "That's the thing, I DO want to do this ! Ever since I was a hatchling I wanted to be a brave hero. I just didn't think the reality would be so much more complicated."

You couldn't help but feel bad but then Zephyr told you something unexpected. "Since I was little I always struggled at doing things that most dragons learn pretty quickly. My parents saw this and helped me do everything. My dad would blow air under my wings and help me learn how to fly, and my mom would use candles to help learn how to breathe fire. I thought I couldn't do anything without my mom and dad until I decided to come to camp. I was confused, alone and--" He was cut off by an unexpected fart that he fanned away with his wing "--smelly...I thought it was a mistake to come to camp and then I met you. You were like my mom and dad !" He gave you a smile before turning back to the pile of rocks "But I still struggle with this sometimes. I want to help you guys, to save everyone and I don't know if I'm ready to do this on my own."

You placed a hand on Zephyr's shoulder "You don't have to. I might not be able to use crystals like you can but I will be with you every step on this journey, but only if you let me." He looked at you again and nodded slightly. He leaned forward and hugged you gently "I love you, you know." Zephyr whispered before leaning back again. You grinned at him and placed a finger to his nose "Love you too, buddy." You said happily before pulling him close for another hug. Misty steam escaped from Zephyr's nose. Your happy moment was interrupted by an odd sound in the sky.

You and Zephyr looked up and saw some bird-like creatures in front of the moon. They flew down at you both like a rain of arrows. Zephyr jumped in front of you and deflected them with his tail while you got up and grabbed a crystal out of your bag, it was yellow. Zephyr quickly ate it and yellow sparks fell from his maw. His scales turned all yellow and luminescent. "Hop on !" Zephyr yelled.
You quickly hopped onto Zephyr's back before wrapping your arms around his chest, he spread his wings and launched upwards. You were in awe at what you had just witnessed. The creatures were following and catching up to Zephyr in the sky. He looked at you "Any idea what yellow does ?" He asked and you shook your head "I haven't documented that one yet !" You shouted. As the creatures drew near Zephyr turned around and opened his maw which fired several star shaped projectiles that exploded upon impact. You gripped tighter and watched the creature's bodies fall to the floor. You looked down at them curiously before noticing a large red bump on one of their chests. "That must have been one hell of a punch!" You exclaimed. Zephyr laughed and nodded before flying upwards. Once again he shot a barrage of stars towards the birds. Another swarm came up behind him "Zeph ! Behind you !" You shouted which made Zephyr laugh " Hehe, You know it's a bad idea to sneak up behind me~" he said in a teasing tone before grunting as hard as he could. His tummy rumbled and he farted out a cloud of golden dust that blinded the bird creatures.
The two of you laughed and landed safely outside the palace. Zephyr landed on the edge of the garden and he stretched out his claws as you got off. You noticed that he was glowing brighter than ever. You walked closer to him and watched as the creatures fell to the ground or flew away. You hugged Zephyr and you both laughed as you entered the palace.

As you both walked down the corridor Zephyr apologized for his behavior earlier. You reassured him that he had nothing to apologize for and smiled warmly at the dragon which made him blush deeply and stammer incoherent words about being embarrassed by your kindness. Zephyr stopped suddenly as he reached the entrance of the throne room and stared at it for a couple minutes before taking a deep breath and walking inside.

There stood King Wilkos and Victor, they were talking to a black creature. The same black creature that Zephyr had defeated back in the caves. Turns out he was another one of the king's guards.

"Zephyr, Y/N ! Allow me to introduce you to Lance !" Victor said while pointing to the black creature. Lance appeared to be a dragon, but he was about the same size as Victor who was smaller than Zephyr. Lance looked you both up and down before speaking "Ah, His majesty has told me about your many feats and escapades ! It is an honor to work alongside the Crystal Tailor." He bowed to Zephyr. Zephyr just chuckled awkwardly and replied "I'm afraid our encounters haven't been particularly pleasant for either of us."
After chatting with Lance for a while the four of you returned to your rooms. "What a nice fellow," you said, but Zephyr thought otherwise. Something about Lance sent chills down his spine, but for now he has more important things to worry about and he soon drifted to sleep.

To Be Continued...