A lesson in Myself

My eyes opened quicker than a flash to the sound of men—loud and angry men. I turned toward a window just a couple feet from my bunk that satin the back corner of the bedroom. I rushed to it, peeking through to see at least a dozen men with torches, pitchforks, swords, and knives. Without a moment's hesitation, I turned away from the window to the rest of the room.

"Foz! Fin! Rory! Mosz! Jankub! Wake Up!"

Mosz, who was right next to me in my neighboring bunk, answered, "What? Is it morning already?"

I ran to him. "No. It's not morning. There're people outside—bad people. We need to go; we need to run!"

"W-what do you mean?"

Trying not to waste any time, I ran to the other side of the room to Fin. "Fin, wake up! We need to go right now!"

Just after I said that, I heard the front door burst open, probably breaking off its hinges. With that sound jolting everyone, I ran straight back to my bunk and slid under it. I pulled my blanket so it hung down the bed, blocking sight of me. Just then, the door to our room, the boy's room, crashed open, making every woken kid scream and gasp, and every still-sleeping kid to wake up. Peeking just under the hanging blanket with one eye, I saw the men rushing in. Without hesitation, they threw their torches on the ground away from themselves and to every wall. They then went after everyone. I saw Foz get stabbed through the back by a pitchfork, pinning him into the floorboards, Fin get stabbed in the gut when he tried to run, Rory get his head cut off, Jankub get attached to the wall by several blades that held him as he burned alive, and Mosz get beaten to death. Before everyone else could be killed, I cowered behind the hanging blanket unable to watch the rest. I closed my eyes as I heard the raging fires and the screams of kids being actively murdered. And the screams of some girls, though maybe only a few, moving from across the building to the central hallway and out the front door.

Seconds after, one of the men shouted, "We need to leave! The fire's gonna trap us too if we stay any longer!"

Another man yelled back, "The killing's not over yet!"

A third man shouted, "Fuck that! I'm not dying with 'em!"

After that, I could hear all the men rush out of the building as the creaking and buckling ceiling warned everyone to leave. I thought that maybe I could leave now; escape while they're running away. But the thought of seeing everyone—seeing all my friends—terrified me. What if they're all dead? What if any of them are still alive? What could I do? The fear of all the possibilities forced me into a quivering state of immobility. But then I realized, if any of them are still alive, nothing else mattered. I needed to help them; I needed to move. I have to move. Working up the courage, I managed to start shifting my body. First my head, then my legs and arms. Ready to crawl out, ready for the final push, I heard one loud, slow, and deep creak and bow coming from the ceiling. After five seconds of that, the middle of the ceiling, and by extension the roof, caved in with a resounding crash. It was too late to leave. I returned to the fetal position as fast as I could with my left side facing upward and my left arm protecting my curled-in head. I listened, petrified, as the rest of the building caved in, burning together on top of my bunk.

Just when I could hear my bunk begin to crack and bend, warning me that soon it would crash on me too, I shot up in my bed. Sweating and hyperventilating, I looked around and saw the inside of my cabin—not the massacre at the orphanage. Gradually slowing my breath, I heard Abraxas's fairly close by, whatever close meant with a creature of his size. I walked to my window and opened the shutters to see a massive amber eye peering in. My body jolted back on its own.

"Had a bad dream, young Ladon?"

"Y-yes."

"Same one again?"

"Yes."

"I see." A moment of silence is given before Abraxas energetically continued. "Very well. When you are ready, of course, come outside. We have a busy day ahead of us!"

Still adjusting to reality I nodded. "Okay."

I dressed as fast as I could, not out of excitement, but out of hope that if I did, I could forget about the nightmare, at least until night returned.

I walked out of my cabin finishing some leftovers to see Abraxas standing as tall as possible in the middle of the clearing by a small stump.

"Are you ready?"

"For what?"

"To learn, young Ladon! Hurry up and sit down. I have much to teach you."

I walked over to him as he proceeded to sit down; his falling behind caused air and dust to blow in all directions. Once I reached the stump, I breathlessly sat on it.

Coughing and swinging my hands through the air while the dust was still trying to find its place to settle, I said, "I-I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have pried so much. I don't even know why I did it. I never pry."

Abraxas's face turned to one of worry. "No no no. You were not in the wrong, young Ladon. I gave you that name knowing the answers behind it. I should have been prepared for those questions before I even gave it to you."

"I see. . . Well . . . What are you going to teach me?"

"Are you familiar with what you are?"

"No less than the stones and blades and pointy things they send my way."

"Right. . . Unfortunately, you are more than one hundred years too late to be treated kindly by humans, I suppose."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, a very long time ago, when I was still respected by our dragonkin, demidragons had possibly the most important role in society. Both humans and dragons alike treated them with all the respect in the world. Well, not everyone did. But most."

"What changed?"

"Everything. Humans gradually started treating dragons like pets so they could control their every action, and dragons grew to hate them for it. Over enough time and enough loss of freedom, a great war began between the two called The Great Cull. The bridge between dragons and humans known as demidragons got caught between them. Humans feared the dragon in them and dragons hated the human in them. I suppose even if history were to be forgotten, the hatred would still remain."

Silence was all I could give since I had no idea how to respond.

"That is why humans persecute you and all other demidragons, and why they burned down your orphanage. Fear, hysteria, and anger, when combined, make a powerful and terrible concoction.

"I guess that explains a lot."

"Yes. But I will have you know, young Ladon, for all the downsides of being a demidragon, there are many upsides as well."

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters, as I am sure you have noticed, your senses are far better than any human. You are stronger, faster, and much more durable than any human you have probably met. I bet you never knew what a papercut is."

Confusion entered my brain alongside the thought that a flimsy piece of paper could do anything beyond just being what it was: flimsy. "Paper can cut things?"

"It can certainly cut humans. Not badly, hence why it is called a papercut and not a paperdeath, but it can cut them nonetheless."

"Huh. I never knew."

"Indeed. Sure your skin is much stronger and can even turn into scales when real danger presents itself, but blades are blades, fire is fire, and a cliff is still a cliff. You are not invulnerable; just much more so than humans."

That much I knew from personal experience.

"Every aspect of your body is different: your skin, your bones, your muscles, your brain, your tendons, and even your fat."

Curious beyond belief I asked, "How so?"

"Before you were born, a dead dragon's wandering soul interlocked with yours through an act of chaos. As a result, it changed your developing body by mutating your genetic makeup to match the dragon's as well as your parents'. That makeup changed every facet of your body, creating a far superior being, at least physically, to humans. In an odd way, you have three parents. This is why you are called a demidragon, young Ladon. Much like how the demigods of old were part god part human, you are part dragon part human."

I never knew how fascinating my kind could be, and I never knew there was more to what I was beyond the persistent misery.

"Woah. . . I-I almost can't believe it."

"It is quite an amazing thing, I know. Though it is rare, some even grow wings too."

"Really?"

Abraxas smiled like an excited father telling all the tales he ever wanted. "You did not, but yes, it really does happen."

"What's genetic makeup?"

"It is a topic for another day. A very old and probably lost branch of knowledge humans discovered long before The Cull. Let us just say, it is what makes you you. It decides how your body is, functions, and grows. If you were a cake, it would be like a recipe."

"I see."

"But that is not all there is to being a demidragon."

"There's more?"

"Yes. Now this is the fun part. On top of all that, a demidragon inherits various magical abilities directly from their inner dragon. Now, what those abilities are vary depending on the dragon within. If a demidragon has a water dragon, they are never going to control fire. Generally, a demidragon inherits some control over their dragon's corresponding element. Sometimes they inherit even more. Both the strength of these abilities and what ones they get all depend on chaos and how powerful their dragon was. Some demidragons inherit little; some inherit nigh unfathomable power like the dragon within them."

"That would mean I got some too, right?"

"Yes you did, young Ladon. And I suspect I know what it is."

"What is it?"

"Go gather some stones and firewood, come back, then build a bonfire here. After that, I will tell you."

Without hesitating, I ran north into the forest, straight to the nearby river. On the way there, the question of what my power could be was filling my mind. That and "Why a bonfire?" Maybe he was cold. Do dragons get cold? I doubted it. I know I wasn't even close to being cold. Maybe it's fire. Fire would make sense. Probably a common element among dragons.

When I reached the large river running from east to west, I drank from it. Though I had no clue about it, this river was probably named something. It was wide enough that it'd almost look like a medium lake if it weren't for its clear length. It was certainly, at least at this part, big enough for a ferry. The water was as clean as could be, and was slightly warmed by the sun, glistening from the same source. I quickly rinsed my hair and washed my face to beat the summer sun's heat off my head, and also because I hadn't done so in a long time; probably months. I should swim here in the future. Looking at the water, I could clearly see my reflection. I've put on a little bit of weight since I first got here. I looked much more healthy and much less skinny. I still had a lean, ropey build, lightly tanned skin, and my horribly burn-scarred left arm, but it was clear I'd been eating more. My incredibly messy, crimson-tipped black hair now reached my shoulders. I didn't really like it, but there wasn't anything I could do about its length without subjecting myself to torture, so I chose not to worry about it for now.

Before collecting the stones, I noticed something. Beyond the soft sounds of the gorgeous river, I heard nothing. No rodents chattering, no bird songs or calls, no branches breaking, and no deer hooves or grunts. The densest forest I've ever known was silent. It's never been this silent. Even birds sing by the clearing. Just as I made this realization, without hearing, seeing, or smelling anything, I felt a presence. Like somehow, up above me in the trees, even across the river, I could feel eyes staring—watching me. I looked up to where I could feel some of the eyes to find nothing. A silent forest is never a good sign. Maybe it's all just in my head. I'm always paranoid. Regardless of whether or not I needed to fear anything, I quickly collected an armful of decently sized stones from the river's edge and ran back home as fast as I ran to the river. I returned with a bit of wind in my breath to see Abraxas patiently waiting in the same spot he was in earlier.

"Are you alright, young Ladon?"

"I'm fine. I got the stones," I answered, trying to be truthful while avoiding the truth at the same time.

He gave a studious stare like he was figuring out more than he was going to say. "Alright. Good. That means we can continue once it is built."

I arranged the stones in a circle large enough for five or six people to sit around right by the stump, and stacked some spare firewood in the middle. As soon as that was done, I headed toward the edge of the clearing where plenty of bushes were.

"Where are you going?"

"Tinder."

"You won't need any use from that today."

I stopped and paused for a moment before turning around.

Feeling as though my suspicions were confirmed, I said, "It's fire, isn't it?"

"What gave it away?"

"You wanted me to build a bonfire, and now you said I won't need tinder. Makes it obvious"

"That is true. I suppose I am not great with surprises. Yes. I believe you have the ability to control, and even create fire."

Walking back, I asked, "How would you know?"

"The same way I knew where you were before I flew to you. It is called Soul Seeing. I can sense the soul of a very powerful old friend inside yours; a friend who wielded fire far beyond the capabilities of any other dragon in the world. Only a small number of dragons are hatched with this ability. Thanks to chaos, I am one of them."

"Is it him? The one with my name?

Abraxas sighed for a moment before deciding to answer. "Yes, young Ladon. It is him."

A long moment of silence was had as I realized I was named after the dragon inside me, what that all meant, and especially what it must've meant to Abraxas. For the first time in my life, I felt like I had something special and profound in me.

"Now, shall we get on with your lesson?"

"Wait. Are you sure it's fire?"

"I am certain it is. Why do you ask? Do you not believe me?"

"No, it's not that. I just… was hoping… maybe it wasn't. I don't like fire."

"I understand. Fire was what burned you after all. And it has burned many things before, since, and will continue to burn things for as long as it exists. But fire does far more than just destruction, young Ladon. Sometimes fields, forests, and pastures burn to return stronger than before. So, I must ask again: shall we get on with our lesson?"

Before I could answer, I felt a shift in the wind; an unnatural shift like when Abraxas first flew to me, but sharper. It sounded much more high-pitched too, like an unnaturally-loud screech alerting everyone to its presence. That could only mean it was much faster than him too. Fear immediately ran through my veins with the realization of what this must mean. A Dragon. Probably not a friendly one either.

"Run! To your cabin!"

Lacking as much hesitation as him, I ran straight to it. Once I got to my cabin, I looked to the sky to see the source of the sound and wind. A spiky, black-silhouetted figure of a dragon soared through the sky faster than anything I've ever seen. It looked like it was coming toward our clearing.

"Go inside! Now!" Abraxas yelled even harsher than before.

My body took control in response to his voice before I could react to it, causing me to burst through my door as soon as I heard his tone. Now inside, I could hear the deafening, whistling screech get louder as it quickly approached. Fearing the worst, I ran straight to my bed, crawled under it, and entered the fetal position while holding my ears tightly. The screeching continued to get louder until it became an unbearable noise blocking out any thought and feeling beyond shock and pain. Just when I thought my ears were going to explode, the sound reached an apex, then quickly grew quieter as if it'd just passed over and was now moving away. Just as quickly as it built up, it was now quieting down. I stayed under my bed until it became as quiet as it was when I first heard it. As soon as it became a lingering echo, I cautiously exited my cabin.

"W-what was that?" I asked shakily to Abraxas, while simultaneously trying to keep my balance on weak, almost numb legs.

"That, young Ladon, is possibly our biggest problem. His name is Gerickst.