It's only matter of Time...

New purpose

Two years later, Karl is heading back to Cinna. 

Well, for him, at least. And Tommy, Wilbur, and the Dragons. As Wilbur had explained when they first arrived, Time doesn't function the same way here as it does for everyone else, so they can spend years there while maybe only a matter of days or even hours have passed for the rest of the world. In addition, the three didn't age, but their Dragons did. Tourniquet is a little smaller than Friend, and Ashcroft, what the young Avian named his Marquis, is only slightly bigger than Tourniquet. That being said, Tourniquet is clearly faster, agile and quick. Wilbur's lessons were harsh, but valuable, from learning how to set up camp with little to no tools, taking advantage of his fire lizard's flight and better eyesight to help hunt, forage, and track things, to better forms of combat, and most important, to do his best to be in tune with his Dragon. That, and the times he'd pull Karl away while Tommy would sleep, explaining the customs and traditions, rituals and beliefs of the hybrids, anything he didn't know about, and ask him about Time Magic. He has a very good grasp on it, Karl thinks, having been surprised as to how swiftly he accepted the whole 'Story' Theory. When it comes to Time Magic and what is known about it, Karl doesn't use concrete terms. A Theory is something that has been tested and presently, is true, but it could still change if something new challenges its validity. Both men left that island with a better understanding of one another, or so he hopes. Wilbur may have been a harsh teacher, but he was smart, taking new variables into account, He will understand. Tourniquet assures him, beating her wings to stay at the height she's set herself at. Her scales, copper and amber, glint in the light, catching the sun resting over the Nejovik Temple. There, Karl can see some other Nejovik, maybe some of his own friends, flying into the Roost, the cave where the Dragons rest when their riders need to go in the mountain. According to the rites they go through, all the new Nejovik will gather in the Temple, then be sent off one at a time to undergo a final ritual before being official riders. It's not like they can't become riders if they don't partake in the ritual, but it's heavily frowned upon. Wilbur explained how it works: The Nejovik and their dragon will land in front of a small pool about a 30 minute's flight into the forest border, a sacred place protected by this time's Sam, and pledge themselves to the gods and goddesses. If they approve of your loyalty, they'll appear to bless you. Often, it's Lady Death, Ethrys, or XD that appear. Tourniquet dives down, then suddenly shoots back up, landing inside the roost with precision and skill. While she had taken Karl by surprise, she knows better than to actually do something that would risk him falling, especially given the fact Karl doesn't have riding gear yet. Inside the Roost, dragons and riders are meeting with old friends, such as Tommy(both Tommys, actually) and  Ranboo(both Ranboos, too)'s Marquis and Ender Dragon meeting one another and chirruping in curiosity. "She's pretty." Sapnap calls, striding over. Following close behind is a red dragon with silver slits on his neck and snout, an orange glow in between and under his scales to show his status as a fire dragon, fitting for a Pyro Elf. "So did you get dragged off by someone, too?" Karl asks, slipping down to the ground and urging Tourniquet to make some friends. "Yeah. I got me–er...other, me." Karl makes a face. "I got Wilbur." The elf raises an eyebrow, impressed. "And he didn't try to kill you? No? Huh. Last time he saw you, he looked ready to rip you apart." Karl shrugs, smiling as he senses his Dragon meeting another she likes. "He said something about how the fact I deal with Time Magic means I'm not so bad, if I remember. It's been a few years." Sapnap nods in understanding. "Oh, yeah, I get it. We may not have aged, but it still feels like time has passed, because it still has, and we have all these new memories. Time is weird." He sighs, then turns to greet Sam, the lion-like Creepertaur padding over with his four fire lizards clinging to his shoulders and gryphon staying close to his side. He seems a little bit different, now: the way he holds himself is less like that of a guard and more of an "I'm relaxed but still alert" type of posture, the mane of fur trailing down his back and tail are thicker, and messy,and his paws seem to be well adjusted to the earth below him. "I trust you all had good experiences?" He asks. "Yeah, mine was...definitely interesting." Karl confirms, Sapnap nodding. "How about you?" Sam flicks his tail, flexing his hands. The gloves he often wears to prevent his claws from hurting people are different, they must have been damaged and stitched back together in that time period. "This version of me is very interesting. There's many things that we've forgotten, and I'm glad to have them back." He explains how his past self helped him to accurately control and use his explosions, a trick involving using his forked tongue to direct the blast where he wants, some new combative tactics that take advantage of his lion-like half, and various other little things that he can use to survive in the wild. During this, the rest of their group gather together, exchanging greetings and sharing experiences.