Dragonification Part Two

Deep in the center of the planets inner core, a large glass-like white sphere, one-fifths the size of the Earth's moon, floated silently .

At first glance, it looked devoid of any impurities or imperfection inside or out.

The contents of the sphere seemed to churn but still kept a serene outlook.

There was a sudden tremor in the furnace-like inner core, causing the sphere to tremble- the shock of the tremor passing through the sphere.

After the tremor had passed, a small chip appeared in the previously perfect sphere, proceeding to widen into a hairline fracture; barely noticeable.

The fracture started leaking out faint wispy traces of the sphere's content.

....

The roar from the massive dragon caused all the creatures inhabiting the mountains to cry out as well, causing an unnatural awakening of the entire forest.

Every creature within earshot of the roar responded with a roar, shriek, howl or squawk of their own, acknowledging the emergence of an apex predator. The weaker creatures had no option than to hide in their burrows and caves.

A few minutes prior, the other members of the Griffin family were currently taking a walk through the mountains, on their way to a picnic with the second child of the family, Catherina.

"Samuel is rather late today. I wanted him to join as for this lunch picnic. Well, I did forget to mention it to him but, he should have been home for lunch already", Vivian wondered as they trekked on.

"You're right. It's possible something has kept him but he should be able to find us when he's done", Bernard replied.

"Where's big brother?" the six-year-old Catherine asked looking up to her parents.

"He's fine. He'll be here soon", Bernard assured her.

No sooner had he said this, the clouds above their heads quickly darkened and the ground upon which they stood started to tremble.

A sudden, ear-piercing roar tore through the sky completely taking them by surprise as well as terrifying them.

Bernard shielded his family, taking the full brunt of the roar's shockwave with his own body, keeping them from being blown away by the strong winds.

"Do you think that's Samuel?" Vivian asked in a worried tone after the winds stopped.

"I believe so. Let's check it out", Bernard said as he picked up Catherine and held his wife's hand, quickly moving towards the direction of the monstrous roar.

Coming over a hill, they saw none other than their son, Samuel, standing in the middle of a field in the form of a giant, winged, four-legged monster.

They stood astounded and petrified with fear; the fear of what their son had become.

Observing their son for a couple of minutes, they finally noticed a strange man who sat atop a horse, observing their son, completely devoid of any fear.

They had no option than to swallow their fear and approached him.

Dr. Emmanuel Michelson, seeing the approaching family, dismounted and met them halfway.

He quickly introduced himself, "My name is Dr. Emmanuel Michelson. I am the current head of the Sienna Institute for Genetic Research and Analysis".

"Is that so? What do you want from us? Are you here to take our son away?" Bernard asked in an aggressive tone as he took a step forward but Dr. Michelson quickly dismissed their fears.

"I am not here to take him away. In fact, you could say I was the pioneer behind the creation of the creature that is your son", he announced.

"What do you mean created? Was our son not born like this?" Bernard asked perplexed.

"I led a team of experts in creating a superhuman serum that, one way or the other, found its way to your family. In truth, your family met the requirements and the serum was administered completely transforming your unborn son at the genetic level", Emmanuel explained.

"Are you telling me you unilaterally decided to use my family for your science experiment", Bernard asked in anger recalling how their son had never had, and will probably never have any semblance of a normal life.

Emmanuel, saying nothing, took a step back and bowed slightly.

"Allow me to apologize. The circumstances notwithstanding, we still used your family for the project without regard for your own wishes. I am really sorry. I understand that I messed up your lives and I know that this sin of mine will be difficult to forgive but I implore you to try", he rendered his apology.

Bernard took a deep breath to cool his head after hearing the apology. Catherina stared at her big brother's magnificent form, completely uninterested in the conversation.

"Why don't we sit down and talk", Emmanuel suggested as he led them back to his horse.

They sat on some rocks and he gave them a detailed explanation, mentioning Dr. Hathaway's involvement in the whole process.

"I knew it! I realized that Daniel was acting way too calm for my liking. Other doctors would have completely freaked out and possibly called the government, but Daniel performed his duties as a doctor without batting an eye, completely unfazed, almost as if he knew it would happen", Bernard said recalling the events of Samuel's birth.

"Hey there!!" they heard a voice call out and they turned to it. "Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear", Emmanuel joked as he shook Dr. Hathaway's hand.

"That was an earth-shattering roar, if I ever heard one", Dr. Hathaway said as he turned to the couple.

"You came?" Bernard asked. "I guess the secret's out, huh!" Dr. Hathaway said understanding the mood.

"Yeah! But as I was saying, we arranged everything and it's my great pleasure to say that it has all gone according to plan. Your son has been born as a unique being, and I intend to make sure his role in this crumpling world is fulfilled", Emmanuel announced.

"If it weren't for your experimentation, we wouldn't I hope that's okay?" Emmanuel suddenly dropped a bombshell on them.

"Wait, so he is leaving us?" Vivian asked with a shaky voice.

"Just for a couple of years. And besides, he wouldn't be permanently gone. He will visit as often as he can and will finally return once his training is complete and he is able to fully control every aspect of his power. Think of it like boarding school", he explained to the couple.

They fell into deep thought and after a while nodded to each other.

"As long as he is able to learn to control his power, we are okay with him leaving us for a while. I mean look at him. If he was to lose control and transform in the house, he could destroy the entire house and possibly crush us in the process. I think this will be the best thing for all of us, all things considered, him especially", Bernard said with Vivian nodding in agreement.

"Thank you for your consent. I promise to take care of him till he returns", the doctor said in appreciation.

"By the way, won't anyone spot him with his size?" Bernard asked. "Yeah, I was just wondering that myself", Dr. Hathaway added.

"You don't need to worry. I have a satellite monitoring this entire mountain range at all times. I'll know immediately if anyone approaches our location. It is also capable of interfering with other satellites, preventing them from taking a shot of this place", Dr. Michelson informed.

"That's wonderful news", Bernard said as he glanced at his daughter. 'I wonder.....'