The Great Beyond

Chapter 6: Gone, Gustav, Gone (Hiccup)

                I removed the second lens from the Dragon Eye and cleaned it off, trying to figure out why we couldn't get the different images it promised to show up, before sliding it back in until it clicked. I heard Reign making her way down the ladder from out loft, then smiled at her as she took a seat next to me and rested an arm around my waist.

"Okay, give me a slow burn, bud." Toothless perked his head up from his head up from his nap and opened his mouth, shining out a low, purple light. Familiar images came up on the wall again. "Okay, we've seen this before, but what happens if I push..." I tilted the Dragon Eye down and pressed one of the strange buttons on the back. The glow turned red, and information on the Monstrous Nightmare came up. "Cool. Dragon classes. What do you say we check out the Night Fury, bud?" Toothless' response consisted of yawning and laying back down for his nap, causing Reign to burst out laughing. "Try to contain your excitement, would you?"

Reign gently took the Dragon Eye from my hands and stood, moving closer to the wall.

"Now, Monstrous Nightmare gem plus Night Fury equals..." The light went out, completely crushing any hopes of gaining any more insight into the Night Furies. "...nothing. Okay." She started to turn the base of the Dragon Eye, bringing the purple light back, when the door to our hut flew open and Astrid ran in, slightly panicked. "Oh! Astrid class," she joked before moving the Dragon Eye down, so as to not blind her.

"Guys, we have a huge problem." My eyes widened as I shot up, quickly moving to stand next to Reign.

"Dagur?" Reign spat, her eyes narrowing.

"Worse," Astrid sighed.

"What could possibly be worse than Dagur?" Reign scoffed, shaking her head.

Not a moment later, her question was answered. A colorful Monstrous Nightmare came barreling toward us, crashing on top of Astrid and crushing her beneath its weight. Its small rider nearly fell off, but one he straightened, my jaw dropped slightly.

"Gustav!" he declared proudly.

"Gustav?" I shouted, completely confused. The last time we'd seen him, he was a little kid. How did he even know where we were?

"Gustav..." Astrid groaned. Gustav climbed off his dragon and stood in front of Reign and I, hands planted firmly on his hips.

"Gustav, what are you doing here?" I questioned as Reign and I backed up. "I-I mean, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" Reign shot me a look, rolling her eyes, but a waved a hand, trying to get her to cut it out before Gustav saw. Sighing, she sat down next to me, and I gently pulled her into my lap.

"Hiccup, did you hear Gustav is..." The twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing Gustav had already arrived and was currently dancing on top of the trunk Reign and I used to store charts and maps. "...standing right beside you. Perfect."

"You're looking different there, Guster," Tuffnut observed.

"Yeah, I'm growing a beard," Gustav stated proudly as he jumped down and pointed to a single cluster of hairs on his chin.

"Really? Let me see." Tuffnut had to get in really close to see the hairs on Gustav's chin, and even then, it could have been debatable. "Ha! Even Ruffnut has more hairs on her chinny-chin-chin than that." Without hesitation, Tuff reached over and pulled it out. Gustav flinched and cried out in pain, crashing into the chest again and nearly knocking over the Dragon Eye. Curious, he picked it up and started to turn it in his hands.