When I awoke, I found myself staring up at my ceiling which meant I was laying on my back and, therefore, my wings had retracted. The sound of a page turn alerted me to the fact someone was nearby and I found Alice reading a book while sitting on the bed, next to me. She gently smiled down at me when she noticed I was awake and shut her book."How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Hungover from the tranquilizer, but that"s about it," I said as I pushed myself up.
I saw that my body was still covered in black scales, but what was surprising was that my talons were crimson even though they were in a neutral state. As I inspected my talons, I also noticed a set of runes across my forearms made up by red scales. I ran my fingers across the fine scales as the innate knowledge of their meaning rose to my mind. They would allow me to easily channel Chaos Lightning, both inside and outside of my body. I could summon spears of Chaos Lightning and throw them with the same effect as filling my metal spears with my mana or I could channel the energy back into myself, enhancing my speed and reflexes.
"There have been a few changes," Alice said as she watched me.
"I see my arms and talons, what else is there?" I asked.
"Your shins have a similar set as your forearms and your horns are also now crimson. My guess is that Katye saturated you with enough Chaos Energy to advance your bloodline."
"It seems so... I"ve also "gained" Chaos Lightning which is fitting since that"s what Katye seemed to be casting," I said then started scooting off my bed.
"Hey, where do you think you are going?" Alice asked, grabbing my arm.
I shifted uncomfortably since I didn"t like people touching me in this form, but I knew she was just worried about me. "I"m fine, Alice. I just want to shower and try to return to my "human" form," I a.s.sured her. "What time is it anyways?"
"Nearly eleven in the morning. You"ve been sleeping for eighteen hours," she informed.
"Thanks," I said as I stood up and walked for the bathroom.
It might have been a little rude, but I knew Alice would understand. I couldn"t suppress my bloodline at the moment and it always made me uncomfortable being around others when I was stuck in this form.
"If you don"t make it to lunch, I"ll drop something off for you," Alice said before I disappeared behind the door.
"Thank you, Alice... really," I replied.
She gave me a gentle smile and nodded to me before I shut the door. I turned on my music and the shower as I undressed. Before the mirror could fog up, I checked over my body and saw yet another change, this one on my back. A crimson outline of wings now covered my back and I could feel them "call" to me, wanting to be unleashed. I sighed as I ducked into the shower and stood under the stream of water set at its hottest temperature. I ended up sitting down and trying to meditate. Although Alice constantly teased me about my poor ability, I wasn"t truly hopeless.
Everyone described their mental plane differently, but each would always tie back into the person"s abilities and affinities. Gustavo"s was a long hall filled with countless swords and shields hanging on the wall. By touching one of the sets, it would allow him to practice a technique or skill. Terri always talked about an endless forest where she would "hunt" different creatures. Her unique traps were all creations made to "hunt" special creatures within her woods and, when she succeed, she would receive a new archery technique. These places were important to anyone who could reach this plane and were the key to building their inner power.
My mental plane, however, was a barren wasteland with a sunbaked, red clay ground that cracked and curled for as far as the eye could see. The emptiness always unnerved me the few times I had entered before. Once, I had tried running in a direction and didn"t stop for what felt like hours, but all I ever saw was the same red earth. When I entered this time, I was greeted with a crack of thunder and a bolt of lightning a few meters in front of me.
When the lightning disappeared, a tall, muscular man was standing where it had hit. He was wearing a tattered loincloth and covered in black scales with a set of crimson horns over thirty centimeters in length growing out of his forehead. Long, wildly-flowing crimson hair accent his strong jawline and his golden eyes could pierce into my soul as he stared at me. He also had the same crimson-scaled runes on his arms and legs, so I could guess his back would be the same as well.
"At last, you have finally awoken me, young one. I am One, the first of our clan to mutate into a Chaos Dragon," the man said.
"Well, this is new," I thought then said aloud, "I am Rebecca and it pleases me to meet you."
"No doubt, I can smell your weakness, but alas I am reduced to a similar level while you are," he said with a sigh as he looked over his body.
I felt my eyebrow twitch in annoyance, but I refused to show any in my voice as I replied, "Forgive me, the world is much different from when you walked it. I do not know the way of our kind."
He chuckled and waved his hand dismissively as he said, "I know, I know. My true body was part of the "Great War" which ended with the creation of the "Great Ward". I understand the kind of world you are living in, so awakening me before the collapse of the ward is impressive. Does that mean you are one of the "Chosen" and were sent to purify the Chaos Lands?"
"I guess I"m a "Chosen" or whatever since I"m working with a group to lessen the effects when the ward fails, but I don"t know about the Chaos Lands," I answered.
"The Chaos Lands are where some of the worst battles were fought in the "Great War". If you are trying help the world before the ward collapses, you need to go to these places and absorb as much of the energy as you can. When that energy returns to the world, disasters, plagues, and corruption of the mind will spread out and wipe out major populations before any beast could and in far more horrific ways. In return for my training, you must vow to go to these places. Not only will you purify these regions, but you will also strengthen your bloodline," One said in a solemn tone.
"Even without the benefits, I would still do what I can to save people"s lives."
"Good," he said giving a boisterous laugh and clapping me on the shoulder, nearly toppling me. "So, how did you awaken me if you haven"t been to a Chaos Land?"
I straightened myself and rubbed my arm before replying, "One of the members of my group has the bloodline of a Chaos Fairy and we got a little carried away with training after we realized she couldn"t hurt me." Instantly, I regretted telling him as he wacked me on the shoulder again, laughing out louder than before.
"I wish I could see the face of the old matriarch of the Fairy clan when she learns a "Chosen" is a Chaos Fairy... not that she lived through the war either," his laugh turned into a snicker by the end of his words. "Enough of that for now, we should begin our training! You are still too weak to remain here for long periods of time so let"s get in what we can!"
"What will you teach me?" I asked.
"Combat! The pride of the Dragon Clan comes from our undying spirit and the ability to push on even when other would collapse! As Chaos Dragons, the battlefield is our home and the source of our power! Your soul has a spiritual connection to your body and, although it is weak, we can make up for it with effort," One said as he walked away from me then turned to face me.
A sense of dread made my scalp tingle as I quickly raised my hands and said, "Wait, wait, I"ve only been fighting for a few years... I don"t even know how to use the Chaos Lightning."
"You will learn by experiencing it. Understand that my power is restricted to the strength of your own body, the only difference is my experience which I was forced to get on my own," he said as his arms and legs crackled with crimson electricity.
The next moment, he was suddenly in front of me with a fist slamming straight into my chest. I was blown back tens of meters as I coughed up blood, but as I skidded across the ground to a stop, the pain had already faded. There was no chance to celebrate that fact as he appeared next to me once again and kicked me hard in the side, shattering ribs.
"Battered and broken bones grow back stronger! Since your body is weak and your spirit is immortal in this plane, I will hammer out the imperfections!"
There was no sense of time in the wasteland as he continued his a.s.sault. I couldn"t even see his movements, let alone defend against any of them. It was a one-sided beatdown which drove me insane as I would continue to heal after every one of his attacks. Playing dead and curling up in a ball only made him attack harder. There was just nothing I could do as I didn"t even have the ability to stand once after he started. When my body finally began to break apart into light, his parting words sent a chill body my spine.
"I expect you back this time tomorrow. If you make me wait, I will show you a truly h.e.l.lish training!"
I opened my eyes and shut off the shower. I saw that my body had returned to my "human" form and let out a sigh of relief. Not only had my bloodline calmed down, I could feel a warmth nourishing my body in rhythm with my pulse. I balled up my fists and felt a new strength.
Stepping out of the shower, I used my towel to clean the mirror to see what changes there were to my "human" form. Thankfully, they weren"t that significant as only my horns had turned crimson and one of the six runes on my arms and legs were also crimson. Focusing on the rune, my innate understanding triggered again and I "knew" it was the symbol for Lightning.
I dried off and walked out of the bathroom to find a clean set of clothes. On my bed was a plate of ham sandwiches with a set of clothes already laid out next to it. A small note was laying on my clothes and I recognized Alice"s handwriting.
"You better come to dinner. Katye is worried about you and is starting to blame herself."
I took a bite of one of the sandwiches as I read the note. Without stopping my enjoy of lunch, I changed into the clothes then carried the plate with me as I went in search of Alice. She was in her study as usual and the antique clock told me that I had spent five hours in my mental plane. She left her desk to sit on the couch while I sat across from her which meant I was here on business, despite my constant snacking.
"How can I help, Becca?" Alice asked as she smothered a chuckle.
"Have you heard of the Chaos Lands?" I asked between bites.
"I have which leads me to wonder how you know about them."
"I ended up meditating in shower and when I entered my mental plane, another Chaos Dragon, by the name of "One", appeared. It seems my bloodline wasn"t fully awakened yet and he ordered me to "purify" the Chaos Lands for his training. Not only will it help, but it should also give me a boost he said."
Alice nodded as she rested her chin on one of her hands while she tucked the other under her elbow. "I already thought about that when I realized you absorbed Katye"s chaos energy. The only problem is that I can"t, in good conscience, send you into any of those regions alone. Katye will be immune to the effects of the chaos energy, but she isn"t ready for something as advanced as that will be. The others can"t survive in those environments unless Lesedi can produce a final product of that metal mixed with your scales."
"I don"t think I have to go right this moment, but we need to make it a target once we can," I said.
"We will. The Chaos Lands are destabilized that they even effect our world, so you can imagine the devastation they will bring."
"Where are they?" I asked curious.
"The Bermuda Triangle, Transylvania, Ester Island, and such," she replied.
"Neat," I laughed.