Hush

Hush: Nygn the reaper

I rushed back through the cave, suddenly no longer anxious of where I was going my feet took charge as I went through each forked path without fear, as I ran my form began to shift, I let out a gnarly growl as my claws protruded further and my senses were heightened. Each tunnel route I took I felt closer to where I had been until finally I ran into the clearing where stood in front of me with its back to me was a dragon, its tail swayed slowly and its wings were on the verge of spreading, beyond the black monstrous creature I saw the shape of Jack huddled into a low alcove in the wall, too low for the dragon to access without crouching low. He huddled tight to the wall and I looked up, still seeing Jack's body hanging, I couldn't make sense of it, but right now I needed to help him.

Another roar erupted from the dragon's mouth. I didn't wait, I ran up the beasts tail using the spines that ran all the way down from his back to clamber up higher on top of the creature. The scales were almost scolding to the touch and hard as steel, as I climbed higher the dragon finally noticed my presence and began lashing his head side to side, his scales opened then contracted wherever I stood as though the dragon was trying to shake me off scale by scale, each one easily the size of me.

I bit down hoping to claim a piece of the dragon inside me that I could use to my advantage, but my teeth met with the solid unbreakable force of his scales, and with it came an acidic burning in my mouth. Again the creature roared and this time coming towards me at an alarming speed was the tail, pointed like an arrowhead, it whipped mercilessly at my body and I went flying forward onto a high ledge above where the form of Jack lay hiding below. The creature blasted smoke from its nostrils and I found myself at eye level with the thing. It reared its neck back like a snake ready to take a strike at me, and our eyes met.

The world in that moment crumbled away, the cave we were in began to disintegrate, and it was only me and the dragon. In the beasts amber eyes I saw children fleeing, teenagers trembled before him, others cried in desperation. What seemed like hundreds of thousands of memories flickered within the dragon's eyes and I wondered what was happening.

'YOU ARE SEEING THE SOULS I HAVE COLLECTED.' The booming voice of the dragon informed. 'I AM NYGN, REAPER OF SOULS. I AM HERE TO COLLECT.' The dragon roared painfully loud.

I shook my head. 'Jack isn't dead.' I said loudly.

In response the dragon let out a shrill roar. 'DO NOT DENY WHAT YOU SEE. YOU CANNOT TRICK THE REAPER, NOR CAN YOU CHANGE FATE.'

I looked up at Jack's corpse hanging, in this weird in between moment I found myself in with the dragon, the Reaper of Souls.

'He wasn't meant to die here.' I said softly.

The amber eyes of the dragon blinked. 'I HAVE SEEN WHAT IS AND WHAT IS TO COME. I MUST TAKE THE SOUL LEFT BEHIND FROM THE BODY, IT IS MY DUTY.'

I felt myself shake in anger. 'Then you will have to fight me first.' I felt myself grow taller than I had ever been before, and my claws became heavy with the power that surged through them. Suddenly I was aware of a caged glowing lantern where the dragon's chest was, as though I was seeing his flame of life, scales moved protectively over it and yet behind them, I could see it every so often as he breathed.

'I will not let you take him.'

'FOOLISH.' Nygn bellowed, 'EVEN IF I WERE TO LEAVE HIM, WITHOUT HIS BODY THE SOUL THAT YOU SAW BELOW WILL MERELY FADE AWAY AS SOON AS IT MOVES TO FAR FROM HIS BODY.'

I paused.

'WHAT THEN?'

What then? I took my eyes away from the dragon, and the cave came back into view. The dragon scoffed impatiently.