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animeboye · 7 months ago

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Dragon's World Past Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Whole New World

For the next ten years, Saulstrance, along with Eig’nia and Tourajé continued their studies under their master, lord Léruc. Each day they grew a little stronger and a little wiser and, in what was seen as in the blink of an eye for a dragon, ten years passed.

Tourajé was playing outside in the front of his family’s cave with his younger brother, Utzie. Laughing together, the older brother chased the younger one around.

“You can’t catch me, Tourajé!” Laughed Utzie, opening his wings, about to fly.

“Oh yeah?” Tourajé said, taking his brother up on his challenge. He grabbed Utzie by the tip of his tail, pulling him back down to the ground as the little dragon struggled to fly.

“Hey no fair!” Exclaimed Utzie, flapping his wings fiercely.

“Weren’t you the one who said we couldn’t fly?” Tourajé asked his little brother in a teasing manner, removing the end of his brother’s tail from his mouth and grabbing it with his paw.

Utzie gulped, knowing he was busted. “Well…”

“Gotcha!” Exclaimed Tourajé.

Pinning his brother to the ground, Tourajé tickled his younger sibling. Utzie screamed and laughed at the same time, pleading for his brother to stop. The little dragon wasn’t necessarily ticklish but somehow his older brother always knew just where to get him.

The brothers’ parents stepped out of their cave. It warmed their hearts to see their sons playing and laughing together. They remembered how much Tourajé protested and hated the idea of having a younger sibling so to see the two of them so happy together made them happy too.

The siblings’ laughter and play died down when they saw three dragons approaching. Tourajé recognized them as three of Léruc’s guards and to his surprise, Eig’nia was with them! However what he wasn’t sure of was why they would be coming to his cave.

“Tourajé?” Said the guard up front.

“Yes?” Tourajé asked.

“Lord Léruc has asked to speak with you, Saulstrance, and Eig’nia. If you would accompany us to his fortress.”

“Did something happen?” Tourajé asked, growing a little concerned as he feared that something bad happened.

“It’s nothing like that. He just wanted to speak with you three.” The guard explained, noticing Tourajé’s alarm.

Tourajé agreed to go with them. He told his family that he’d be back in a little bit. He, along with Eig’nia, followed the guards back to their master’s fortress. They couldn’t help but ponder over what Léruc could possibly want to speak with them about. Tourajé asked Eig’nia if she knew anything but she told him that what they told her was the same they told him.

Once they made it to the Leader’s Fortress, Léruc’s guards led the two dragons to Léruc’s chambers where he and Saulstrance were waiting for them. Tourajé and Eig’nia sat down beside Saulstrance.

“So you must all be wondering why I called you here.” Started Léruc.

“Yes sir. Is everything okay?” Asked Eig’nia.

“Everything is fine. I have just been thinking about how much time has passed. Ten years can seem like a really long time but for us dragons, it can also feel instantaneous.” Léruc said.

The three dragons looked at each other with confused expressions. Was this the whole reason Léruc summoned them? Just to reminisce?

“Umm, sir? Is this why you asked us here?” Asked Tourajé.

“Not quite. I have something more important I wish to discuss with you. Do you remember when I mentioned the ‘other world’?” Léruc asked.

Léruc didn’t expect any of them to remember any mention of the other world. After all, how would they? He had never discussed the other world with them in any of his lessons and had only mentioned it once briefly when they were hatchlings. However, much to his surprise, one of his students did in fact remember the other world: Tourajé.

“I do. I’ve also read a little bit about it. Unlike our world, this one is inhabited by many different species. The most dominant of these species is called ‘human’.” Explained Tourajé.

“Human?” Parroted Eig’nia.

Tourajé nodded and then resumed his explanation.

“This is the most interesting part: these humans are able to walk on only two legs!” Tourajé exclaimed, sounding as though he didn’t quite believe it himself.

Saulstrance and Eig’nia protested. There was no way that was true. How could there be a species that only needed two legs to walk? Saulstrance decided to try it himself. And so, slowly and carefully he raised up, lifting his front paws off the ground. As he tried to stand on two legs, Saulstrance wobbled around, trying to brace himself. Eventually he couldn’t stand up on his back legs anymore and fell backwards.

“I just don’t understand how the humans can do it.” Said Saulstrance as he sat up.

Léruc chuckled. “Don’t worry Saulstrance. You’ll understand once you see them.”

“Lord Léruc, you sound like you’ve been to the human world before.” Eig’nia said a little suspiciously.

“I’ve been there a few times. You may not believe this but their world is even much bigger than ours.” Léruc said.

“It is?!” The three of them said together, surprised.

“Indeed. And just as how our world’s name is Zalphonia, their world’s actual name is Earth. I could explain more of the world’s workings but perhaps you would rather see Earth for yourselves.” Said Léruc, knowing his pupils would be excited at the prospect of seeing a new world.

He was right. Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé went wide eyed after hearing that they would get to visit this other world. They talked amongst each other, asking one another different questions such as what kind of things they thought the human realm had, what the other species that lived there must be like, and how big they thought the world must be. Excitedly, Eig’nia asked her master when they would be able to go. Léruc informed them that he would be sending them there tomorrow. This news made them even more anxious.

Having said everything he felt needed to be said, Léruc concluded the meeting. He sent Eig’nia and Tourajé home, telling them and Saulstrance to get much rest for tomorrow.

That night, Tourajé and Eig’nia told their families that they would be visiting the human realm. Utzie gasped, a wide beaming smile on his face. He desperately wanted to go with his big brother but knew, and was disappointed that he was unable to.

Eig’nia’s siblings also shared a similar feeling of disappointment with that of Utzie. Despite being older, they had never gone to the other world. They never would have guessed that their youngest sibling would be going there before they did.

The three dragons lay in their nests, thinking about what the human realm must be like. What were the humans like and how could they walk on only two legs? How many of them were there and what would their world be like? These were just some of the questions that swam through their minds. After awhile of imagining the human realm, the three dragons fell asleep.

The three of them woke up bright and early that morning. Eig’nia and Tourajé met up and together, headed for their master’s fortress. When they got there, they found that Saulstrance was up but not Léruc. Tourajé asked Saulstrance where their master was. Saulstrance informed his friends that Léruc was still asleep. Because they were incredibly anxious to get to see the human realm, the three dragons decided to go and wake their master up.

They stepped into Léruc’s room. It was almost pitch black save for a small puddle of light by the exit. Loud snoring came from the sleeping dragon, something that surprised his students.

“I had no idea Lord Léruc snored so loud.” Eig’nia whispered to her friends.

“Should we wake him up?” Asked Saustrance.

“Of course! We want to see the human realm don’t we? And Lord Léruc is the only one who knows how to get us there! So let’s get him up!” Exclaimed Tourajé.

Just before they got the chance to wake their leader, Léruc groaned groggily. He slowly opened his eyes, surprised to see his students standing by his nest side.

“What are you three doing here?” Asked Léruc, still half asleep.

“We’re ready! We want to see the human realm, sir!” Saulstrance exclaimed.

Léruc moaned again. He raised his head slowly and quickly lowered it back into the nest.

“What time is it? Has the sun illuminated the sky yet?” Léruc asked.

“Uhh, not completely.” Eig’nia replied.

“Then let me sleep. We shall discuss your going to the human realm once the sun is high into the sky.” Said Léruc, shutting his eyes again.

“But sir!” Saulstrance was about to protest.

“No! Sleep now! I’m an older dragon, I need my sleep.” Léruc grumbled.

The three of them realized that they weren’t going to win this one. Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé quietly left their master’s chambers and went to Saulstrance’s room where the three of them fell asleep together.

Five hours later, the three dragons awoke and met with a fully rested Léruc in the hall. It was there that he would explain to his young subjects how they would be getting to the human realm and what they should do once they got there.

“Now then, it’s time for what you three have anxiously been waiting for: your first trip to the human realm.” Léruc announced.

Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé could barely contain their excitement. The moment they had been waiting for was finally here. They were finally going to get to see what the human realm…what Earth was like.

A portal opened up before Léruc. The three dragons had never seen anything like it before. They wondered how it opened up and whom, or what made it.

“This is a portal. We dragons use these to travel back and forth between Earth and Zalphonia. In order to open a portal of your own, you must first clear your mind. Afterward, focus and imagine a portal forming in your mind. Go on, give it a try.” Léruc instructed.

Eig’nia stepped forward. Just as her master instructed, she cleared her mind then imagined a portal forming. Tourajé and Saulstrance were surprised when they saw another portal forming next to the one their master had previously opened.

“Nicely done, Eig’nia. Tourajé, Saulstrance, it’s your turn now.” Léruc said.

Saulstrance and Tourajé did just as Eig’nia and Léruc before them. They cleared their minds of any thoughts and focused on creating a portal. To their surprise, two more portals opened up beside Eig’nia’s and their teacher’s.

Léruc was impressed. It astonished him that they learned how to create portals so quickly. But of course, he thought to himself, creating a portal wasn’t that difficult. Even still, he knew he had made the right choice in naming them his apprentices. He closed his portal and walked in front of the portals his pupils had created.

“Now that you know how to create portals, it’s time for you to journey to the human realm. Go ahead and close your portals. Just imagine the portal closing.” Said Léruc.

They did just as their master instructed. They imagined their portals closing and as they did, their portals closed right before their eyes. With that done, Léruc opened another portal.

“This portal will take you to the part of the human realm I want you to go. Once you’re there, locate some humans. That will be important for if you’re going to walk among them.” Léruc continued giving his instructions.

“What do you mean by that, sir?” Asked Tourajé, confused by the latter part of his master’s instructions.

“We dragons have an ability that allows us to take on human forms. It’s necessary for if we ever visit their world. To humans, we’re creatures of myth. They would never believe their eyes if they saw one of us for themselves.”

Léruc concluded his lectures. Before his pupils could step through the portal, he told them that the process of changing into a human and vice versa was the same as creating portals: they just had to visualize themselves changing into a human form. With that, he wished them a fun and safe journey to this new world.

Saulstrance, Eig’nia, and Tourajé stepped through the portal. Once they were inside it closed behind them. They looked around, finding themselves floating in an endless void of nothing. What was this and where were they they thought to themselves. Then suddenly, their bodies began to move forward as if drawn by something. They didn’t know what was happening or where they were going but they didn’t fight it. They just allowed themselves to be pulled towards…whatever it was that was pulling them.

After a moment, a bright light shone, temporarily blinding the three dragons. As soon as they opened their eyes, they found themselves surrounded by trees. The trees’ leaves were thick, preventing all but small circles of light to break through.

“Where are we?” Asked Saulstrance as he stood up.

Standing up, the three dragons looked around. They had never seen so many trees before. Was this the human realm? If it was then where were all the humans? They decided to look around to see if they could find any humans.

After searching around this new environment for awhile, they stumbled upon two creatures they had never seen before. They noticed that these creatures had oddly colored scales, only…they weren’t scales. They were something else. They wore strange material over their bodies and one of them was carrying what looked to be a weapon while the other carried five parts of a tree in his arms. The dragons wondered if these were the humans their master mentioned. They also weren’t sure why one of them was carrying a weapon with him.

They observed these creatures for a short while. They were surprised to find that these creatures were capable of talking just like them. They stood there for awhile and talked a bit before finally making their way into another part of the woods.

Once they were gone, Saulstrance, Tourajé, and Eig’nia agreed to try changing into their form, certain that these were the humans Léruc mentioned. And so, they closed their eyes, imagining the creatures they just saw. Without their knowing it, their bodies started to change, their mass decreasing and their draconic parts such as their wings, horns, spines and tails being absorbed into their bodies.

They opened their eyes. The first thing they noticed was that their front legs were now in a different form. Their claws had shrunk and were now colored pink. Likewise, their paws had shrunk down a bit and were donned not with talons but something that seemed like talons. They weren’t sure how to describe these new appendages.

Looking behind themselves, they discovered that their wings and tails were missing. Their jaws dropped, eyes widened. It was then that they realized what had happened: they had turned into the same creatures they saw just a little bit ago. They had become humans!

Much to their surprise however, they noticed that unlike the humans that they had just seen, they weren’t wearing the same material that they were. In fact, they weren’t wearing anything at all.

First, they tried to stand on their fours. However, because of their new bodies, the dragons turned humans now found it strange to be doing so. Slowly and carefully, they tried to stand up on only two legs. Once they were on just two legs, they were surprised to find that it actually felt more natural now. They decided that they would try and walk around in an attempt to get used to their new posture but before they could, a loud scream came from behind them. Startled, the three turned around and saw a boy standing behind them. This boy was about their size in their human forms and, as they guessed, was probably about as old as they were too. He wore material sort of like the ones the humans from before had on.

“Who-who are you guys?!” The boy asked, feeling weird to be seeing three naked people out in the woods. “And…why are you naked?”

#animeboye #dragon #original writing #dragon's world #dragons #tf #New World #Written when I was in my twenties #Dragon's World Past #Siblings #Sleeping dragon #fourth of july post #Brothers #Ten years later #Prequel #fourth installment #woods #Friends

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animeboye · 2 years ago

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New Dragon’s World Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Day 1, Drake's Secret Power Titus' hands slapped against his knees as he raised his head. He took in a deep breath and exhaled. The left side of his face began to sting slightly. He rubbed that part of his face in an attempt to numb the pain. As he did so, he recalled the events that had happened prior to him arriving back in town: First Saulstrance appeared, then Titus tried to attack him, and this in turn resulted in Saulstrance digging his claws deep into Titus' face… "Hmm…" Titus ran his hand over the part of his face which had been stinging. This made Titus curious. So he stood up and looked over the side, noticing his car parked underneath the foot of the steps. He walked down the steps, to his car and glanced into the mirror. Upon moving his hand from his face, he noticed that the wounds inflicted onto him by Saulstrance still remained but had begun to heal somewhat. He also noticed that they looked remarkably smaller than he had imagined, the one on the left in the middle barely even touching his cheek. He wondered if his being in human form had something to do with it. As a dragon, his head had much more mass than that of a human's head so perhaps the sizes of the cuts varied depending on which form he was in. He walked around to the passenger's seat and opened the door. To his surprise, he discovered that the door hadn't been locked. He sat down and opened the glove compartment. He rummaged through its contents, eventually coming across a bundle of photos tied together by a large rubber band. He took the rubber band off of the photos and set it on the dashboard. Titus then began to look through the pictures. They were all of Titus and his family at different moments in their lives. The first picture was of Titus and Sarah on their wedding day. In this picture, the happy couple was surrounded by all their closest friends. A then five-year-old Drake could be seen held in his mother's arms. The next picture was taken back when he, Sarah, and Lucas were just beginning their freshman year of high school. Titus had grown slightly and his hair completely obscured his ears. Lucas was now a head taller than Titus but with shorter light brown hair. And then there was Sarah, who was centered right in the middle of the picture. Her arms were draped around the two boys as the trio smiled gleefully into the camera. The next picture was of Titus playing outside with his nephew and his niece. Several of Kyle's action figures, along with Jackie's Barbies were seated on top of the picnic table. They pretended that the picnic table was a burning building and Kyle, who was pushing his toy fire truck, had to get there right away and save everyone. Jackie and Titus provided the voices for the toys. As Titus flipped through some more pictures, he came upon a picture of him and Drake at the park. Titus smiled at the picture. He couldn't believe how long it had been since it was taken. Drake must have been no older than six or seven years old at the time. In the picture, Drake and his father sat together on a swing set. Drake swung back and forth excitedly as Titus watched his energetic son. Titus' smile turned into a frown. He set the picture face down on the dashboard and placed his left hand on top of it, placing the rest of the pictures in his lap. He then put his other hand over the right side of his face and shook his head. He looked down at the ground for a few minutes, lost deep in thought, ashamed of what he had done. After a while, he eventually turned his attention from the ground and looked up and saw Sarah standing by the ledge, looking down at him. He got out of his car and walked up the stairs. The two looked at each other for a second, not saying anything and then Titus quickly turned away from her.

"You're awake." Sarah said softly. Titus nodded, looking at the ground. "Hey, what's wrong?" Sarah asked curiously, trying to get a peek at her husband's face. Titus turned around and sat on the steps, his head still hung low. Sarah sat down next to him with an expression of great concern on her face. "Titus, please tell me what's wrong!" She pleaded. Sarah saw that he had their pictures cupped in his right hand. She noticed that the rubber band which kept the pictures together had been removed. She figured that Titus must have been looking through the pictures and that something in one of the pictures had upset him somehow. Titus took the picture of him and Drake at the park and handed it to Sarah. She looked at the picture confusedly. "I let him down, Sarah…" Titus muttered shamefully. Titus squished his eyes and the fingers on his right hand gave his forehead an intense squeeze. Sarah was about to put her arm around her husband, but then pulled it back. She looked at Titus with a sorrowful expression. "I let everyone down…Jessie and Rick were almost killed because of me…and my dad and Drake could still end up dying!" Titus squeezed his forehead even harder and growled in frustration. "Titus…" Sarah began, finally putting her arm around her husband. "If you keep thinking about the worst-case scenario, then it has a better chance of coming true. Don't think about Drake and your dad dying. Just think about them getting better. All you can do is hope for the best. Okay?" Titus removed his hand from his face and placed it in his lap. He contemplated everything that Sarah had said to him. Her words put Titus more at ease and gave him hope for his dear father and son. He finally turned to her and smiled. "You're right Sarah!" Titus said in a more positive voice. "I know Drake and Dad wouldn't want me to be so sad." "That's the spirit!" Sarah beamed back at Titus. She stood up and held her hand out in front of Titus. He grabbed her hand as she helped him onto his feet. "What do you say we go check on our son?" Asked Sarah. "I like that idea." Titus said in a much more optimistic tone. As Titus and Sarah walked past the motel, they noticed Titus' mother, who was walking up to them. She ran up to her son and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Doulstraz…thank you…Thank you so much!!" She said as her body shook. "Umm…for what? What'd I do?" Titus asked, confused by his mom's bizarre behavior. "You saved your father, Doulstraz. Don't you remember?" "Well yeah, I do but…hey! Now that you mention it, where is dad?" Titus asked again. "I left him with a friend of ours from our village. She's what the humans in this world call a doctor. She's saved a lot of dragons, even those who had death breathing right on their scales. She even helped you get better once when you were a just born hatchling." Explained Titus' mom. The three of them continued making their way to the clinic. As they strolled along, Titus' mom told them even more stories about her friend and how she created her own medicine using freshly pulled bark from a tree, nectar from a Mognodondria flower, a flower that grew in the dragon realm, and fresh spring water. The nectar would then be poured onto the fresh bark and then the spring water would be poured over the Mognodondria nectar. "Wow…Your friend's really amazing!" Sarah said in awe. Titus's mom smiled at her compliment. "She really is. And if anyone can save my mate, it's my dear friend Ontrix." They eventually came to the clinic and found their friends sitting in the lobby. "Hey, guys, what's up?" Titus asked. "You are!" Ben replied. "Are you feeling any better?" "I guess so. But what happened? I remember kicking Rikai and then…then I think I passed out." Titus said with a confused expression as he tried to recall everything that had happened earlier. "Hey- - wait a minute…" Titus said to himself. He walked past Sarah and his mom and over to where Lucas was sitting. He stood in front of his friend and looked up at him. Titus stared curiously at Lucas which had begun to make him feel uncomfortable. "Uh… Titus, what are you doing?" Lucas asked uncomfortably, raising an eyebrow. "Luke, is it really you, man?!" Titus asked, his hands out in front of him, looking as if he was about to grab Lucas and start shaking him. "Are you okay, Titus? Of course it's me! Who else could it be?" Titus dropped his arms to his sides. His fingers and thumb curled into a fist. He squeezed his right fist and swung it at Lucas, hitting him in the arm. "Oww! What was that for?!" Lucas yelled as he rubbed the arm that Titus punched. "You idiot!" Titus shouted at the top of his lungs. "I thought you guys were dead!" "Look, Titus…" Lucas tried to say. "Excuse me." The doctor interjected. "I would like to point out that this is a hospital, and it would be wonderful if you wouldn't shout in here, sir." "Sorry." Titus apologized. "Doctor, how are our friends?" Jackie asked worriedly. "Well if you wish, I can let you see them." He replied. He led everyone to Drake and Rick's room. On the way he explained that Rick's legs had been terribly burnt and that he would never be able to walk again. As for Drake…he didn't know how he'd be able to help. "I've treated plenty of sick kids, but I've never seen anything like this before. When he was brought in, I had a nurse take his temperature and…" "And what?!" Asked Titus urgently. "Well…his temperature was at about 108 degrees…" "108…" Sarah repeated. "Just how bad is that?" "Well, you see, a normal temperature is 98.6oF. Whereas a high temperature is usually around 100.4oF." The doctor explained. "Look, I'm going to be completely honest with you: Your son's temperature is unusually high. I fear that if it continues to rise, he could very well die." "Titus…" Sarah said, about to cry. She squeezed Titus tightly. Titus put his arms around Sarah and hugged her. He shut his eyes and shook his head as his anger at his neglecting Drake and Rick rushed back to him. Titus' mom placed her hands on her son's shoulders and hugged him. The doctor opened the door to Drake and Rick's room and allowed everyone in. In the bed nearest the door rested Rick, whose legs were wrapped in cling film. In the bed next to the window lay Drake, who was just barely breathing. From head to toe, Drake was drenched in sweat, his skin a bright red. Under him was a puddle of his sweat which was soaking into the bed. "Hey guys." Said Rick. Titus and Sarah didn't say a word. They made their way over to their son's hospital bed. Sarah took one look at the state her son was in and quickly turned away as she started to cry. "Hey, Crystal, Sean and Tim, could you guys do me a favor and take Mrs. Flamel out to the lobby?" Titus asked. The kids, along with Sarah, left the room. Everyone else watched helplessly as Drake suffered, unable to help, unable to do anything for him. "Uncle Titus, I'm so sorry." Kyle said, rubbing his eyes. Titus kneeled beside his son's bed. "Drake…" He began to say. "You have no idea how sorry I am. This is my fault, I should have gotten you here sooner! I'm sorry!!" Titus lowered his head in shame. It was at that moment that he noticed that Drake's claws hadn't turned back into nails and the scales hadn't receded from his arms. He grabbed Drake's arm, paying no mind to the scorching heat emitting from his body. As he grabbed Drake's hand, a small wave of fire spluttered from his claws, scorching the wall and setting off the sprinkler alarm. The doctor rushed in to see what happened when he noticed the large black mark that had been left on the wall. "What's going on?" He asked. "Well you see…um…That is to say…umm…" Titus tried to come up with a believable lie. "And what's with that large black mark on the wall?" The doctor asked sternly. "I…don't have a very realistic explanation for that." Titus smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. As soon as the sprinklers turned off, Titus looked at his son, who he noticed, was starting to breathe regularly. He placed his hand on Drake's forehead and noticed that his son's fever was beginning to go down significantly. A large smile began to grow on Titus' face. He started to laugh as tears of joy streamed down his face. ""Luke, go get Sarah and the kids! They have to see this!" Titus exclaimed. Lucas went to fetch Sarah, Crystal, Sean, and Tim. Everyone else, especially the doctor, stared confusedly at Drake, not understanding what had just happened. Titus' mom looked intriguingly at her grandson and thought that there may be more to Drake's half-dragon powers than she thought. The doctor, equally as intrigued, if not more so, studied his young patient. He found the young boy to be rather interesting. In this bed, lay a boy who could barely breathe, had an abnormally high body temperature, and could have very well been on the brink of death. Now this very same boy was resting peacefully, almost as if nothing had happened. He turned around and stared at the large, smoldering black mark on the wall and then turned back to Drake, who was now sleeping soundly. He cocked an eyebrow. "Mr. Flamel… your son wouldn't happen to be a dragon, would he?" The doctor asked half-jokingly. "Well, let's just say he's half of one." Titus smiled knowingly, which only served to further confuse the doctor. The kids and Sarah found their way into the room. Titus instructed her to place her hand on Drake's forehead. Upon doing so, she gasped in shock! She was just as befuddled as everyone else. Crystal, Sean, and Tim all smiled at once. They knew that Drake couldn't be defeated by a fever. Sarah kneeled beside Drake's bed. She ran her hand over his bangs and smiled, relieved that her young son would be okay. She kissed him on the forehead and straightened his bangs. "We should get going, guys. Let's let Drake get some sleep and then we'll come see him in the morning." Said Jessie. "Yeah. Sounds good." Titus agreed as he and the others proceeded to make their way out of the hospital room. "Umm, hang on a second guys." Titus said and he stopped at Rick's bed. "Rick… thanks for protecting Sarah. I'm really sorry…about your legs and…well… I'm sorry about everything." Rick smiled at Titus. "It's okay, man. I'm just happy Sarah's okay." Titus smiled back. "Yeah. Me too." Sarah hugged Rick and went back to the motel with everyone else. The next day, after having breakfast the group headed to the hospital to see Drake. "Hi, guys!" Drake greeted with a big smile. "'Sup, Drake? You feelin' better?" Sean asked. Drake stared at Sean, wide eyed, mouth slowly opening. He couldn't believe it: His best friend, whom he thought had been killed, was now standing before him, as was Tim, his Uncle Lucas, and his grandmother. "Hey, are you okay?" "Sean, Uncle Lucas, Tim, Grandma…is it really you?" Drake asked surprised, his hands shaking. "Well, geez, Drake, you'd think we were dead or something." Lucas said jokingly. Sean extended his arm out and nudged Drake's shoulder. "See? If we were dead, you wouldn't be able to feel that." Sean said. Drake smiled in disbelief. His eyes lit up and he shook his head while still grinning brightly. The fingers on his right hand twitched as they slowly curled into a fist. Drake raised his fist and punched Sean in the arm. "Oww! What was that for?!" Sean exclaimed while rubbing his arm. "You're an idiot, Sean! Me and Crystal thought you were dead!" Drake said. "Drake, I'm sorry! It wasn't MY idea!" Sean protested. As the two boys bickered back and forth, everyone watched amusedly. "Geez…Like father like son." Lucas said. "Yeah, I agree, Luke: Sean IS like you." Titus said, grinning from ear to ear. "You know what I mean." Lucas said, unamused. Everyone began to laugh together, the bickering Sean and Drake soon joining in as well. "So hey, Grandma, where's Grandpa?" Asked Drake. At that very second, the laughter stopped abruptly and the room fell silent. Drake didn't understand what had just happened. Why was everyone suddenly looking so serious? "Drake, dear why don't you sit down? We have something important we need to discuss." His grandmother said glumly. Drake sat on the side of his bed. His grandmother sat next to him. She took in a breath and explained to Drake everything that had happened after he had passed out. To no surprise, the news about what had happened to his grandfather shook Drake. His grandmother brought him closer to her and gave him a warm hug. She closed her eyes and kissed the top of his head. Drake sobbed as his grandmother held him in her arms. Titus walked up to Drake and rubbed his head. "Come on, Drake." Said Titus. "You know Grandpa wouldn't want you to be like this. I know how you feel. But right now, we need to be strong for him. All we can do now is believe that he'll be alright. Drake, can you look at me for a sec?" Drake looked at his father, his eyes large and filled with tears. He rubbed his right eye while still sobbing. "Drake, can you do that for me? Can you be strong for Grandpa? I'm going to try and be. Can you?" Titus asked sincerely. Drake wiped away his tears and looked up at his father, who was smiling down at him. He then turned to his grandmother, who also smiled down at him. Finally he turned to the rest of his friends and family, who stood right in front of him, smiling at him as well. Drake looked back at his father and smiled at him. He knew his father was right. "Thanks Dad!" he said in a more cheerful tone. Titus nodded at his son. "Drake, we'll all be praying for your grandfather's recovery." Jessie said to Drake thoughtfully. "Thanks, Aunt Jessie." Drake beamed. "So Titus, you still have three days left. What are you going to do?" Asked Lucas. "Hmm… You know, I'm not sure." Said Titus, thinking about what he should do with what precious time he had left. "Well there's something I want to do." Titus' mom said, standing up. "And what would that be?" Titus asked as his mom walked past him. "Just an experiment." She grabbed a Dixie cup and filled it with nice, cool water from the sink. She took the cup over to Drake and set it down on the table next to his bed. "Drake, can I see your claws for a minute?" Asked his grandma. Drake wasn't sure why his grandmother would ask to see his claws but he didn't bother to ask, believing that it had something to do with the "experiment" she had mentioned. He held his hands out in front of him as his fingernails became long and sharp and his scales ran from his fingertips to his shoulder blades. "Alright, now I want you to stick your finger in this cup of water." His grandmother instructed. "What?" Drake was baffled at his grandmother's bizarre instruction. Just what was that going to accomplish? His grandmother held the cup in front of him. Still confused, he looked at the cup and then looked at his claws. He raised his left arm and stuck his index finger slightly into the cup to avoid poking a hole into it. He leaned forward and watched as the water drained out of the cup. His eyes widened. "The water! There's no water left in the cup!" Drake shouted in disbelief. As soon as the cup was completely empty, Drake's grandma passed the cup around. Sure enough, there was not so much as single drop left. "So what's this all about, Uncle Titus' Mom?" Jackie asked. "You'll see. Drake, how are you feeling right now? Do you feel any different?" "Not really. Why, Grandma?" Drake asked. "Oh…I see." She said, getting deep into thought. "Umm, say, Doulstraz, after Drake fought that other half-dragon boy, how long did it take until he lost consciousness?" "Well, let's see…I think it had only been a few minutes." Titus replied, unsure. "Could you be a little more specific?" His mom asked sharply. "It was at least five or ten minutes prior." Titus said. "Very well. Then let's wait for about ten minutes and come back." Said Titus' mom. And so they waited for ten minutes although everyone, with the obvious exception of Titus' mom, had no clue what they were waiting for. Sarah, Jessie, and Jackie sat in the lobby and talked amongst themselves. Ben, Kyle, and Titus' mom stood outside, taking in some fresh air. Titus and Lucas stood by a vending machine and drank soda. In the meantime, Crystal, Sean, and Tim ventured around the hospital. They peaked into each of the vacant rooms and Sean opened the door to the doctor's office and quickly slammed it shut, not wanting to get yelled at by his father or the doctor or one of the nurses. He jerked his head both ways, making sure that no one saw them. With a paranoid expression on his face, he slowly back away from the door. "You know, I've never been in a hospital before." Crystal declared. "Me neither!" Tim added. "I had to go the hospital once." Said Sean. "When was that?" Crystal asked. "Don't you remember? Back in 3rd grade, we were in gym and we were playing Soccer. Well I tripped on the ball and fell and I broke my left arm." "Oh, yeah, I remember that! I also remember how badly you were crying!" Crystal teased. "I was not!!" Sean yelled, offended. "That wasn't funny. I had to wear a cast for three weeks. I couldn't play video games, I couldn't participate in gym, I had a hard time taking notes in class, and I couldn't even play with you and Drake. It sucked!" He exclaimed. Just then, Sean saw a nurse heading towards them. He froze in fear as the same paranoid look returned to his face. "Hello, kids." The nurse greeted in a friendly voice. "What are you up to?" "Oh, nothing! Just hanging out!" Sean said loudly, unable to control the volume of his voice. "Aren't you friends with the little boy who's staying in Room 306?" The kindly nurse asked. "Oh, Drake? Yep, I'm Sean! I'm Drake's best friend! This is my little brother Tim, and this is Crystal. She's kind of Drake's girlfriend." "Sean!!" Crystal blushed. The nurse chuckled and smiled at the kids. "Well I'm sure he's really happy to have such wonderful friends. But anyway, kids, Drake's father wanted me to tell you that they wanted to see you." "Has it been ten minutes already?" Asked Crystal. "I don't know." Sean shrugged his shoulders. The kids hurried into Drake's and Rick's room and found everyone standing by their bedsides. "So how are you feeling now, Drake?" Asked his grandmother. "I feel kinda cool. It's sort of like I'm swimming in a really nice, relaxing pool." Drake explained. "I see…I think it's starting to make sense: Drake, it seems that your claws are able to absorb certain elements such as fire and water." His grandmother tried to explain. "So, his claws are kind of like a sponge: A sponge soaks up water and then releases it when squeezed." Jackie added.

“And I suppose his scales help to protect Drake’s arms when he’s releasing something like lightning or fire.” Kyle chimed in. "Cool!..." Said Drake, awed by his newly discovered powers. In that instant, an idea formed in Drake's head. He smiled impishly and gleamed over at Sean, who was standing between his father and Crystal. "Hey, Sean, could you stand over here for a minute?" Drake asked, pointing to the foot of his bed. "No way." Sean quickly replied. "Aww, come on, man." Drake whined. "No, I know what you're gonna do, Drake: If I go up there, you're gonna spray me with water, aren't you?" "No, I promise." Drake lied. "I'm not falling for it, Dra—" "Sean, quit being such a baby." Crystal interrupted, pushing him to the foot of Drake's bed. Drake pointed his clawed and scaly left index finger at Sean. Like water being fired from a squirt gun, a small stream of water shot from Drake's claw, spraying Sean in the face. "See? I knew you were gonna do that!" Said Sean, wiping the water off his face. Crystal and Tim broke into a chorus of laughter, soon to be joined by Drake, then the adults and eventually Sean himself. It felt good for Titus and everyone else to just be laughing in such a carefree way. They all hoped that after this was over, they would be able to continue laughing and having fun together. "Excuse me." A voice called, breaking through the group's laughter. The voice took everyone by surprise. They turned around and saw an older woman standing in the doorway. Her face was very slightly wrinkled and she had long, gorgeous silvery hair which ran down her back. "Umm…can we help you with something?" Asked Titus.

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