The ship emerged from hyperspace. Taking the helm, I directed the "Star Path" towards the green ball of the planet my mentor wanted to visit. The planet was quite far from the Center and was discovered by Lorm Decer himself. At least, that's what was officially stated. In reality, the jungle planet had long been discovered by smugglers, who, as always, pursued their own selfish interests—it was their transit point. Lorm, according to him, once crashed, found workers with cyber knives and short polearms, and destroyed them at the parking lot, using parts of the ships that were under repair to fix his flying (not without supernatural powers) wreck. The planet had only one continent, where endless green forests had won the battle. Among other things, the burning tour "Only death is better than death" included cool rocky mountains, green rivers, and unwelcoming fauna ready to tear, bite, and devour unfortunate guests.
The smugglers had only a refuge here for ship repairs, to which we headed. The steel structures were overgrown with green moss, but this point was still functioning.
"So," Lorm drawled, "where's the generator?"
"So you don't remember where it is?" I asked the Mentor.
"My young, promising student. I have dozens of different hideouts across the Galaxy as a precaution. It's too hard to remember everything..."
"Is he always like this?" BB-7 chirped, whose trills I can now understand thanks to the Mech-deru technique. I've been mastering it for four days, more or less.
"I hear you, iron donut," Lorm grumbled, finding the generator and pressing the button. The transit point started working, and an energy shield appeared around it. "This planet is dangerous at night, which is why we need this shield."
A blue film of the shield protected the perimeter of the point.
"Nevertheless, it's irrational to keep it on all the time, as the shield generator has its resource. So I keep it off, which is why some 'fauna objects' break through into the point."
The point itself was a large steel spire, soaring upwards. There were extensions on the spire...
"Those are solar panels," Lorm explained. "Why do you think there's so much greenery here? Because the Star is quite close to the planet. There's an oxygen atmosphere, and the star's position gives plants the necessary energy. That's why they grow. The solar panel receives this energy along with them. But as I said, the shield is turned off when we are absent, and what does that mean..."
"That some 'fauna objects' penetrate here, you said, mentor."
"Correct, my young, promising student. And the fauna objects will be your first task. You must clear the main premises of our unwanted guests. And then we will talk. Usually, I did this myself, but I thought it would be an excellent test for you," he sat down in a meditation pose next to the ship. "So, you might encounter a zaris—it's a fast predator with sharp claws. It has four legs. It's very agile. You might also find snakes here. They are nocturnal hunters, but very sensitive during the day when they sleep; their tail has a biological spring at the end, and they have incredibly poisonous, sharp teeth that can pierce even dense protective fabric." And the last ones, the most dangerous who could have penetrated the spire—rindys. These are animals, partly sensitive to the Force."
"To the Force?" I swallowed.
"Externally," Lorm nodded, "they don't differ from wolves, only much larger, but most importantly, they always hunt in packs and use telepathy to communicate with each other. Such... dogs can make even a knight sweat."
"And am I ready to meet them?" I asked my mentor. "Force-sensitive telepathic animals, are you sure I won't die? Besides, if they are telepaths, they can also connect with my consciousness!"
"Yes, that's usually what rinds do," Lorm sighed. "Smugglers always kept some personnel here, and they monitored the shield. But now the rinds have infiltrated the spire. And yes, they are capable of weakly suppressing the will of an opponent fighting them..."
"That's just a weakened version of Battle Meditation!" I exclaimed, interrupting my mentor.
"Correct," he confirmed. "Only keep in mind that your mental resistance is enough to fight their suppression. And without that suppression, the most they can do is synchronize their actions. Something like that..."
"I think there aren't enough predators..."
"Infiltrated here?" Lorm asked. "I'm probing the spire with the Force and I've told you about everyone I counted there. Right now, there are twenty-three living beings. A pack of zaris of eight individuals. A pack of rinds of ten individuals, and five snakes of different species, but all possessing roughly the same properties. Naturally, other living beings could have infiltrated the station. The most dangerous creature that could have entered here is a scaled dragon."
"A DRAGON?" I repeated, and an image of a flying monstrosity formed in my mind.
"About ten meters long, five meters tall. Possesses sharp teeth, equally sharp claws, and wings. The Dragon is the Apex Predator on this planet. And its teeth and claws can withstand three or four blows from a Lightsaber, as can its scales. The pinnacle of defense. But the greatest danger of the dragon is that it is completely invisible in the Force. It is the perfect weapon for killing the Force-sensitive. But they are rare; in all my life on this planet, when I've visited—and I've visited many times—I've only seen two dragons. The first nearly sent me to merge with the Force, and the second I barely managed to kill. They are very maneuverable and quite intelligent."
"And back to my question," I said. "Is this planet really suitable for my training?"
"This planet," Lorm chuckled, "is the most brutal of all the planets where I have sanctuaries. You, my young, promising student, currently match Knights in skill. Some Knights," Lorm Decer corrected himself. "So you have a chance to become stronger in this green hell... Oops!"
I turned around, looking behind me.
"Seems a pack of Rindy has decided to greet us. While we were chatting, they sensed us. Unpleasant. I wanted to entrust you with dealing with them..."
Ten fairly tall wolves, baring their teeth, were preparing to attack. Though I'd call them 'Direwolves.' Just like in the canon of A Song of Ice and Fire, they turned out to be much taller than ordinary wolves. The Rindy had brown and black fur. But the most impressive was the huge Rindy. If the other animals who'd come for a lunch named 'me' were no taller than one and a half meters, this giant, by my purely unprofessional estimate, stood two to two and a half meters at the shoulder.
"Need help?" my mentor asked when the Chieftain let out an incredible roar, making me swallow hard and take a step back.
"No," I shook my head, trembling slightly. "You brought me to this planet to learn. So I... I can do it, right?!"
"You're asking me that?" asked Lorm, jumping and performing a backflip. He landed on the nose of my ship. The Rindy watched him with their eyes. "Be careful. They may not be able to suppress your will with their analogue of battle meditation, but they can still sense the danger emanating from you, Force techniques, and the Lightsaber."
"AUUUUUUUUU!" howled the Chieftain... And the ordinary Rindy launched their attack...
I activated my Lightsaber; it instantly flew into my right hand. I didn't have time to assume a stance because my left hand immediately aimed at a tree. The grappling hook fired, attaching to the tree trunk. The line retracted, pulling me away just from under the maws of three monstrosities... Damn it! They almost chewed me up. Force Enhancement gifted my body with the necessary physical power, flooding my muscles with a turbulent cocktail... In mid-air, I noticed one of the Rindy leaping precisely at me. Detaching the grappling hook, using the Force to assist, I ducked down, letting the huge wolf's body pass over me. I slid across the ground, raising my Lightsaber. The Rindy, despite all its desire and sensing, couldn't dodge; the Lightsaber entered its body, cleaving half the wolf in two, guaranteeing its death... Stepping out from behind the fallen wolf corpse, I looked around. Three Rindy didn't waste time and tried to attack me from three different sides... I jumped back, performing a flip. The Rindy braked in front of each other and watched me land. Landing on the ground, I assumed the Ataru stance.
"Well, come on, doggies," I beckoned them. "I'm waiting. I'll gut you just like your kin."
The fallen Rindy's body slumped down. Its surviving organs decided to change their transport operator and slipped out of its body... The wolves didn't respond. The three nearest ones rushed at me.
"Raaa," I exclaimed, charging into the attack like Yoda...
I aimed for the head of one Rindy, but it braked, and I ended up landing right in front of it. Its kin decided to greet me 'friendly' with a paw strike, but I ducked, letting it pass over me. I never liked over-familiarity. I swung my hand, using Telekinesis to push the rogue back. He wouldn't have been able to dodge, but I had two other opponents and instantly switched to them... An attack from one of my foes; I jumped to the side, quite unexpectedly for one of them, because I landed right on its head, immediately increasing the number of natural orifices in it. What could be more natural than a melted hole from a lightsaber? An instant forward flip, I flew over another Rindy and, finding myself right in front of the snarling maw of the one previously pushed back by Telekinesis, I slashed its face in mid-air. Performing another fancy tumble, I landed and returned to the Ataru stance.
"UUUUUU!" howled the pack Chieftain. And the last one left alive from those who attacked me stepped aside. They attack in trios or pairs. And they synchronize with each other...
Damn, the mentor was right. During a fight, when your life is on the line, you usually don't monitor your Force usage. And now I literally felt a slight drain with every cell of my body.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAA!" roared the pack Chieftain, charging at me.
And he, despite his size, turned out to be much faster and stronger than the ordinary ones. Which, of course, is logical. Lorm Decer was watching me from my ship... Suddenly, I felt a faint trickle of the Force. A trickle that stretched towards me and slightly replenished me. The mentor is helping me a little? One could be surprised he even knows what it's like to help others... But no time to get distracted... The Chieftain quickly closed the distance between us. I sidestepped and struck him in the side. He jumped back... Without even looking at me, just jumped back. His speed allowed him to move quite fast, and his rudimentary Force sensitivity allowed him to react to a fast strike from a Force-sensitive under enhancement.
"His reflexes are quite powerful," came the mentor's voice. "Many times more powerful than ordinary pack members."
Yeah, I get it. Dodging my strike? Whether in Ataru or Soresu, I attack quite fast. That's the peculiarity of my Force Enhancement, which primarily affects my physical speed. That's why everyone noted that the perfect form for me is Ataru. The Rindy Chieftain drilled me with his gaze.
"RAAAAAA!" he growled, rushing to attack me again. This time I intended to strike his muzzle, swinging my sword precisely at it, but he ducked. The weapon only slightly cut his forehead. I'm even surprised he can duck like that... And then I was knocked off my feet. The huge, heavy Rindy didn't just duck so my sword missed him, though I passionately wished otherwise; he literally shot his body forward and knocked me back. I spat blood and, flying a couple of meters, crashed into the corpse of his kin.
"GHA!"
"RAAAAAAAAA!" this time he opened his maw right in mid-leap...
Damn! Dying from an overgrown dog wasn't part of my plans. I thought I was reborn here to make this Galaxy better, not to die so simply! Move! I pushed off with my hand and jumped... Without the lightsaber... Where is it? The Rindy Chieftain crashed into his kin. I found the lifesaving hilt of my sword and, pulling it to me, reactivated the green blade. Stand and wait for him to attack? No... He'll catch me quite easily again. My body almost shot forward... I began delivering powerful Ataru strikes, literally forgetting about Soresu defense... Right... Defense? Right now, the best defense is offense! The Rindy jumped away from my attacks, then suddenly spun, performing something like a reverse. He wants to hit me with his hind legs and break the flow of the fight? Defense... No! Not defense! I ducked, letting the paw strike pass over me, and, sharply swinging my sword, chopped off one of the Chieftain's legs...
"UUUUUUU!" growled the Chieftain, though soon this 'growl' turned into a pitiful whine. With three legs, he lost his mobility and could only hobble pathetically. Smiling, I approached this animal... "RAAA!" he tried to attack me one last time, so to speak, but I just ducked and drove the green sword into his chin, then wearily pulled it out... The Rindy Chieftain collapsed at my feet.
"And now," I said, returning to the Ataru stance.
"Stop!" came the teacher's shout. "Look closely!"
I looked at the remaining Rindy. What the hell? They seemed to bow their heads...
"The Force gifted these creatures with an analogue of pseudo-intelligence. If the Scaled Dragon is 'intelligent' only in battles, then Rindy are the analogue of sentients on this planet. They have a clear, social hierarchy within the pack. Rule of the strongest. You just killed their Chieftain, so they acknowledge you as the new strongest," explained Lorm Decer.
"They acknowledge me as the strongest?" I asked him.
"That's the nature of Rindy. Perhaps someday they'll evolve into sentients. Or maybe they were once sentient and degenerated into animals. Anything is possible. I also have my own... bunch of Rindy. When you kill a pack's Chieftain, the remaining members establish a mental link with you, or rather, attempt to establish this link. Now, considering the dead, your pack has five individuals. Two females and three males..."
I relaxed slightly, and then it washed over me. A feeling like I could command them and they'd carry out any order. I deactivated the Lightsaber, though kept it in hand, and approached one of the Rindy... My left hand touched its nose, and it started nuzzling me... It can't be, it was nuzzling me like a dog.
"What does this mutt think it's doing?" came the trill of BB-7.
"You can use them to defeat the Zaris..."
"There are eight Zaris," I said thoughtfully. "And only five Rindy. Is it logical to put the pack at risk like that?"
"Fool," Lorm landed nearby, making the Rindy I was petting growl. "Whoa, whoa, easy there!" the mentor raised his hands. "They are directly dependent on their Chieftain, or rather, on his connection to the Force. The stronger and better the Chieftain understands the Force, the stronger the pack. Zaris are no match for Rindy anyway, and now that you've established the 'Chieftain-pack' link with the latter, they've become many times stronger. So—act. Though, it's entirely your choice—to go clear the Spire alone, or with friends..."
***
Clearing the Spire took a good two hours. All because I was hunting for snakes. They posed a problem, reducing the number of male Rindy to two... I literally saw the wolf convulsing, poisoned by venom, with the severed head of a snake lying nearby. It was even worse because the snake had initially targeted me, and he protected me... And that attack was too fast and unexpected... In any case—may the wolf rest in peace. The Zaris themselves attacked with such ferocity and fury that they even managed to bite my arm. My right arm was now wrapped in a bandage... After clearing the Spire, Lorm summoned his own pack. Turns out, this... mentor-female-dog—had ordered his pack, which consisted of twenty-eight individuals, to leave the spire shortly before our arrival, so other fauna would populate the spire! I knew it, a female-dog like Lorm Decer definitely left something in the Spire to prevent other living beings from settling it. Because there were too few different individuals inside the object. Which means it was guarded until a certain time.
The rest of the time, and I enjoyed (read: tried not to die) the local resorts for a whole year, was a real test of endurance, agility, and nerves. A year he taught me everything! Because Lorm Decer gave me cross-country runs. First, he came up with simple tasks—run a couple of kilometers, parkouring. And I ran... Used various parkour elements: flips, jumps, slides, and even that wall-running from Prince of Persia. This advanced my mastery of Ataru. In fencing—he even gave me a second sword, because when training Ataru, at a certain stage, they use two swords... And using two swords, my maneuverability—I even managed to defeat Lorm Decer himself in a duel. First, he used standard Djem So against me, and then even Niman, which leaned towards the fifth style, but still—Niman was his main, combat style... And bam, using two swords—I disarmed him, which he didn't expect from me. Unclear why he's so happy, Lorm went and devised obstacle courses with 'fauna objects.' This time I not only had to run the course but also clear a certain area of monsters. And there were far more of them here than I encountered in the Spire. Lizards that could crush stones with their bite, snakes that jumped out from underground... Wild cats hiding in trees.
And the scariest thing I encountered—the Scaled Dragon. I fought again, this time stumbling upon a pack of Rindy. Mine were resting in the Spire itself and 'replenishing their numbers'... One year changed me. My clothes were so torn in the first few days that I remade them into shorts and a short-sleeved shirt... Though I was afraid to go into the forest, remembering things like ticks. Asking the mentor, I learned ticks exist here! And they are truly horrible here... The immune system of some living beings destroys them, and if it fails—the tick uses the living being's body as a resource for reproduction. In the end, the being's body literally bursts, ejecting new individuals of these ticks. The Smugglers who set up a transit point here are completely nuts... Though there was a reason they did it. Turns out, on the planet, there is a land area covered with stygium crystals.🔹Note: A very rare crystal, officially mined on only 2 planets in the Galaxy. After the era of the "Stygium Rush," reserves of this crystal were severely depleted, leading to a shortage on the Galactic market and a sharp price increase.🔸Application: Cloaking devices, Lightsaber construction.🔹Features: A Lightsaber made from this crystal emits no light in the visible spectrum. Only experienced Force users capable of fighting blind could oppose duelists with such blades.🔸Color spectrum: None. Though my mentor didn't find it and likely didn't try to search... And even the smuggler gathering only found small deposits of this valuable crystal. Returning to ticks, the teacher listened, nodded, and made me learn a simplified version of the Force Barrier, which he made me maintain around my body constantly... And it helped; I could run naked through all the jungles—ticks wouldn't infect me.
There were also carnivorous plants here that could capture their victims and literally digest them. They were scary; I almost shit myself when a 'harmless flower' swallowed me in a trap... But the Lightsaber is always with me; I chopped that damn flora object to pieces... Same thing now... Chopping up a carnivorous plant of the 'all-devouring sundew' class, I tumbled onto a clearing, catching my breath... And then I heard an incredible roar, unlike any before... Behind me was a void in the Force. Like a Black Hole... Oh no... No, no, no... Not this... Slowly turning, I noticed it... Huge, shimmering with green, the Scaled Dragon... Its maw was filled with several rows of razor-sharp teeth. It stood on its hind legs, and its wings ended in equally sharp claws at the front... The wings seemed to emanate from its arms.
What to do?! I definitely can't handle it! Run, that's all! The Scaled Dragon is too dangerous for me... Turning, saturating myself with the Force to the maximum, I rushed away. But the dragon wasn't inclined to let me go. It took flight and dove precisely at me. At the last moment, I jumped aside, avoiding the strike of its claws, but not its teeth, which, barely touching my right arm, carved a bloody furrow... The pain I felt at that moment, I had never experienced before. It only accidentally touched me with its tooth; I miscalculated the maneuver...
Squeezing my eyes shut from pain, I made a mistake... Never close your eyes when an opponent is before you. The dragon opened its maw, wanting to devour me... What to do? My body jumped upward; I landed right on its nose... The light blade flew into my left hand; in my right, I only felt pain... A strike; the dragon roared furiously, losing an eye... It flapped its wings, and its muzzle rammed me, sending me flying... I crashed onto a boulder, and all the air was knocked out of my lungs... Is this it? Is this how I die?! After all that hellish life on this planet, I'll just die... The dragon soared upward and opened its maw, ready to devour me, when suddenly it was swept aside in mid-flight... I barely had the strength to look to the right... The teacher stood there, not even having activated his Lightsaber.
"Get out of here, you damn monster," growled Lorm Decer, pointing a hand at it. Green lightning shot toward the dragon, colliding with its bulk. For the first couple of seconds, nothing happened, but then the dragon roared in pain. Force Lightning... Or rather, its Light side manifestation... The dragon flew up and simply flew away, and my consciousness plunged into darkness...
***
"Awake?" my mentor asked me... I found myself lying on the bed in my room on the ship.
Lorm Decer gave me the 'captain's cabin' without much argument. I just remembered how he treated Officer Dizzy on Tustr. And he, in the best traditions, 'had his fun' and declared he was 'leaving, possibly forever.' And the officer herself wanted a serious relationship. In the end, for my people—marriage is a rather serious institution. Of course, there are 'Pleasure Houses.' And having multiple partners isn't forbidden to anyone. But the point is, Officer Dizzy, according to my father's message, is no longer young. She's already eighty and wants children. Lorm seemed like a worthy candidate to her, and her demands—to be honest, are outrageous. And then he says 'sorry, thanks, and goodbye'... Anyway, I used blackmail against my beloved mentor, thus getting his cabin. But what can you do... The threat that I'd return with him to Tustr is quite serious...
"You scared the hell out of me, my young, promising student. Ran into a dragon. And I warned you. For over a year, you were lucky."
"Lucky," I agreed. "Didn't you say they were rare?"
"Oh yes, rare. In fact, I don't even roughly know how many dragon individuals are on this planet. They all live closer to the center of the continent, and we're on the outskirts... Phew," he exhaled. "However, you marked it; you had to go and hack out its eye."
"It almost killed me!" I exclaimed, immediately coughing.
"Happens," Lorm snorted. "I won't hide it; the formed Force Bond with you means we are true teacher and student, and I would have been sorry for you. However, nevertheless, I'm proud. You, the one who, from the very start, would have definitely died if you'd met a dragon, managed to hold out, albeit partly instinctively, against it until I arrived. As I already told you—the Scaled Dragon is one of the most terrible monsters I've encountered. You have potential."
"I've heard that before," I noted, "when a Varkh—an analogue of a bear from this planet—almost killed me, and the Myrts from the swamp?" I asked about the crocodiles. "And the Bat, not much smaller than a dragon? I fell from twenty meters up! And right onto an Aliraf," contrary to the name—an analogue of an elephant, it has tusks sticking out even from its back. "This is some kind of hell!"
"Yeah, yeah, cry to me some more," Lorm hissed. "You, calm down, hear me?! You survived, and you did well. Satisfied? I'm praising you outright. You demonstrated mastery of Force techniques. In the fight with the Varkh—you showed proficiency in Force Healing. On the Myrts, you honed Ataru jumps, understood the importance of movement in battle, and the Lirma?" Lorm asked about the mouse. "You understood how to fight in non-standard situations. You stabbed it while falling, and its meat was tasty. Calm down, student... Haven't you noticed? You've become stronger living here. You've hardened yourself over this year. Now you're ready."
"And ready for what?" I asked. "I'm almost fourteen, a Padawan of a Jedi Knight, but all I do is sit on this planet without leaving, fending off various animals."
"For confronting the most terrible animals of our Galaxy. For confronting sentients... This year-long training was needed so you could hone what in you is responsible for battle. And though your character is still far from the strength you've gained, in terms of abilities—you're ready to stand beside me, my young student."
"What about 'promising'?" I asked.
"My young, partially justified my hopes, student," the teacher corrected. "From the very first day until today, you've become better. Though I couldn't understand if you were ready to go on further travels with me. Now I understand you are... Once you recover—we'll head into space..."
"Mentor," I called him.
"Well, what?" he asked me.
"Since we're seeking Tulak Hord's legacy, why not visit the moon Yavin IV? After all, his ghost appeared there during the Second Great Galactic War?"
"Yes, I remember there was a record that Hord's ghost appeared there. But he appeared for brief moments, and whether he'll appear to us is a big question. Though Yavin IV is of great archaeological interest; there I found a couple of fragments of what was once his Holocron."
"What if we try to use those fragments as an anchor and summon his ghost again?" I asked.
"You're saying the right things, but you don't understand one thing—such techniques are clearly beyond the power of the Jedi. This isn't the jurisdiction of the Light Side of the Force, but rather the Dark Side, if not even the witchcraft of the Dathomirian witches, which also pertains to the Dark Side of the Force. The Dark Side of the Force, my student, is incredibly dangerous. The savage Sith naively believed they could control it. Control emotions to gain power, and many demonstrated 'adequate use of this Force,' but how long did they last? All without exception 'adequate Sith Lords'—ultimately went insane. Vitiate, Malgus, Naga Sadow, Marka Ragnos, Exar Kun, and Ulic Qel-Droma. It destroyed their minds. That's why I fear it, and if I see a Force technique clearly from the dark side, I either try to understand if there's an analogue on our side, or... Information about it should be known to as few sentients as possible."
"I understand... So that's how you used Force Lightning..."
"Emerald Lightning," Lorm corrected me. "No one knows that I've mastered an analogue of Force Lightning. I'm already at odds with the Council, only Yoda understands something from my explanations, but at least three councilors look at me like an enemy of the entire Galaxy: for 'rudeness, disrespect, and careless attitude towards the Force'," he spat out. "As for your proposal... Hmm... I know for sure about the existence of a Sith ritual where they could summon ghosts and use their energy for their own benefit. The point is that in some places I encountered data about a medallion, with which it was possible to summon a Force ghost without much difficulty, if we have a part of Tulak Hord's legacy and the corresponding Sith medallion..."
"But you're contradicting yourself, Master!"
"Yes, that's true," Lorm agreed. "But in that case, we won't have to hire a Dathomirian witch, or perform a dark ritual ourselves, which would surely send both of us to the Dark Side. The medallion is an artifact, nothing more. Dark Side of the Force artifacts — I've used them, and even experimented on some, infusing them with the Light Side of the Force. They worked... Some of them worked," the Master shook his head. "However, finding this medallion will be difficult, as I've only encountered records of it. So get ready, apprentice. You still have much to learn, and at the same time, if you're lucky, you'll get hints from the strongest duelist among the Gifted in all our history..."
"Yeah, right," I grumbled. "As if I need that..."
"Endure and learn!" the Master replied, leaving my cabin...
***
A pack... My pack of ryls has grown over the year, reaching thirteen individuals... Before leaving, I ordered them to guard the Spire and made sure the Master ordered his to do the same... But the most important thing is my body. I've grown slightly taller, gained muscle, but the scars...
My body is simply crisscrossed with scars, from various bites... In front, there's a claw mark running from my chest to my stomach. That's what the varh treated me to, I lost a lot of blood then. And a mutated zaris, which was taller than its kin! It tried to bite my throat. And the most terrible scar is a furrow running the entire length of my right arm, left by a scaly dragon. I will return to this planet, I will definitely return and kill this scum! Scars from attacks by other animals had a chance to heal. Although, I won't hide it, the scar that the varh left me looks stylish. But the scar left on my right arm will never heal. That's what Lorm told me, showing me the scar on his back, left by the same dragon. A hideous dragon! Well, okay... Calm down, calm down, Light. You've been through hell, so it won't get any worse...