Henry's eyes met the dragon's piercing gaze. It felt as though the creature was peering straight into his soul, understanding every fiber of his being with a single look. The dragon, massive and regal, seemed to defy the laws of reality. Its marble-like scales glimmered faintly under the strange inverted sky, and its four great wings, two large and two smaller near its back, stretched majestically. The creature flapped them once, sending a gust of wind rippling across the ocean-like ground that shimmered like liquid but left Henry dry. He looked down—or was it up?—and the dragon seemed to do the same, as though their perspectives were inverted.
Henry's thoughts raced as he tried to comprehend the bizarre phenomenon. What kind of place was this? How was the dragon above him while simultaneously being below? As if sensing his thoughts, the dragon lowered its head, its eyes locking onto Henry's. "Fated one," the dragon began, its voice deep and resonant, reverberating through the strange space. "I cannot say whether you are lucky… or cursed."
The creature's words sent a chill down Henry's spine. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Fated one?" he thought. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Before he could vocalize his confusion, the dragon interrupted him with a slight curl of its lip—a knowing smile. "But first," it said, its tone commanding yet oddly gentle, "why don't you get down from there?"
Before Henry could even process the command, his perspective shifted. He was no longer looking down at the dragon; now, he stood right in front of it. The shift had happened in an instant, as though reality had rearranged itself to obey the dragon's will. Henry turned in confusion, looking behind him to see the ocean-like ground still shimmering above him. "What… just happened?" he muttered, his voice shaky.
The dragon lowered its head closer, and Henry felt the sheer size of the creature's presence. It was overwhelming. "You are full of questions," the dragon said, amusement evident in its tone. "But let us address the most pressing one. You wonder how you are here… and how you still draw breath."
Henry's heart pounded as the memories came flooding back—the cliff, the fall, the pain, the creature's jagged teeth sinking into him. He instinctively touched his shoulder, but to his surprise, there was no wound. "Wait… how am I here? Didn't I… didn't I die?" His voice cracked, the terror of the last moments before his fall still fresh in his mind.
"Not quite," the dragon replied, its voice carrying a solemn weight. "Lucky for you… you landed on my heart."
Henry blinked, utterly baffled. "What? Your… heart?" He stared at the dragon with a mix of confusion and disbelief, his expression clearly saying, "Is this guy crazy?"
The dragon let out a deep rumble, a sound that could have been laughter. "It is a long story," it said, shifting slightly. "But I suppose we have a moment."
"I am known as Kaldaryn, Duke of the Lumiviel Clan, one of the twenty great clans of ancient dragons," the dragon began, its tone carrying the pride of a seasoned warrior. "Long ago, our kind ruled this world, bound by the laws of strength and honor. But even among us, ambition could give rise to treachery."
Henry stood in silence, captivated by the dragon's words.
"There was a war—one that sundered the balance of our world," Kaldaryn continued, his voice taking on a somber edge. "My half-brother, Faelaryn, the Dragon King of the Ignysvar Clan, sought to unite the twenty tribes under his rule. He sought dominion over all, even at the cost of kinship. I opposed him, for his vision was one of tyranny, not unity."
Kaldaryn's eyes seemed to darken as he spoke of the past. "Our battle shook the very fabric of reality. Faelaryn wielded the Lance of Aetheris, a weapon forged from the void itself. It was with that cursed lance that he pierced my heart, striking me down in this very forest. As my life faded, my mana spilled into the land, twisting it, giving birth to the this now strange magic forest you have faced."
Henry's breath hitched. *."So that's why this place is so messed up…" he thought, but he didn't interrupt.
Kaldaryn's gaze softened as he looked at Henry. "And you, Henry," he said, startling the man with the mention of his name, "by fate or misfortune, fell into the abyss below that cliff—onto my remains. My heart, though lifeless, still held a fragment of vitality. But being not of this world, you were doomed to die."
Henry's head spun with the weight of the revelation. "Wait… how do you know me? And why save me?"
The dragon seemed to smile faintly. "When I clashed with Faelaryn, the power of our battle tore through the veil between worlds. It was this tear that brought you here. You, an innocent, suffered unjustly as a result of our folly. Saving you is my way of repaying that debt… and ensuring my legacy."
Henry tilted his head, his expression torn between gratitude and bewilderment. "Your… legacy?"
"Indeed," Kaldaryn said, his voice steady. "By saving you, I made you my kin. Dragons can create offspring by sharing their essence with another being, making them dragonkin. But you are a special case. In saving you, I transformed you—not into dragonkin, but into a full-blooded dragon. My blood has overwritten your human frailty. You are now my son… and my heir."
Henry's jaw dropped. "Wait. WHAT?" He staggered back, his mind reeling. "Are you saying I'm… a dragon? And your son?!"
The dragon chuckled, the sound deep and reverberating. "It is as I said. You are no longer a weak human. You are a dragon in body, blood, and spirit. Everything I was, everything I left behind, is now yours."
Henry's head spun, but a part of him couldn't help but geek out. "So, wait… does this mean I get, like, powers? Dragon powers? Can I breathe fire? Fly? What does this mean?!" he blurted, his excitement momentarily overshadowing his disbelief.
Kaldaryn smiled, a proud and almost fatherly expression. "It means you are bound to a destiny far greater than you can imagine. But I cannot guide you further. My time is done."
Henry's excitement turned to panic. "Wait! I have so many questions! You can't just—"
But before he could finish, Kaldaryn's form began to fade, his body dissolving into shimmering light. "Farewell, my son," the dragon said. "May you forge a path worthy of the name Kaldaryn."
Henry woke abruptly, gasping for air. The ethereal world was gone, replaced by darkness. Yet as his eyes adjusted, he realized he could see clearly, as if the shadows themselves revealed their secrets to him. He found himself in a deep pit, surrounded by massive bones—the remains of the dragon, Kaldaryn. Above him, a tiny pinprick of light marked the only way out.
Looking down at himself, Henry froze. His skin was no longer flesh but covered in pale white scales that shimmered faintly. As he watched, they shifted, darkening to matte black. "What the…" he muttered, running his hands over his body. The scales were smooth but strong, radiating power.
Testing his newfound strength, Henry crouched and leaped. The ground beneath him cracked as he soared upward, shooting out of the pit. He burst into the open sky, the wind rushing past him, and for a brief, terrifying moment, he realized he was heading toward space. He barely managed to adjust his momentum, falling back to the ground with a heavy thud.
As he lay there, staring at the stars, a grin spread across his face. "I'm… a dragon."
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