SPECIES- OLIVER

1. DREAM

He found himself in a white room. He looked around. He couldn't tell where the wall ended, and the floor began. Everything was so bright that the boundaries of surfaces disappeared into the light. There were no contours, no shadows. A sense of confusion overwhelmed him. He took one step, then another. There was no sound. He couldn't hear his footsteps, not even his breathing! It was as if the room had absorbed all sound. Absolute silence. He turned around. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head, and he clutched his head. He fell to his knees. What's happening? He felt like he was floating between the floor and ceiling, unsure if he was awake or dreaming.

This isn't the real world.

He looked at his hands, at his body, realizing he was still wearing the same clothes from the previous day: dark jeans and a black shirt with rolled-up sleeves. He inspected his forearms more closely, but there were no changes.

Nothing.

A momentary sense of relief washed over him. He placed his fingers on his temples, gently massaging them. I need to find a way out of here, he thought. He tried to relax, to ease the headache that dulled his senses. Slowly, he stood up, blinking several times to sharpen his vision. He took a deep breath, but it felt as if he couldn't feel the air, as if he were in a vacuum. Confusion gradually turned to anger. He suddenly ran, then stopped. He looked around once more. He quickly realized that his surroundings weren't changing and that he was still standing in the same spot. He was trapped in nothingness, a world between wakefulness and sleep.

Where am I?

Suddenly, he felt a change. He started hearing his heartbeat and rapid breathing. He tried to concentrate, closing his eyes to better sense what surrounded him. He recognized something—something strong and supernatural. A spell is holding me captive! Ancient and mystical, so powerful that it began to awaken something within him. Something he had long suppressed. "Mmm..." he tried to identify it. The spell danced around him, probing his mind like invisible fingers exploring every corner of his consciousness. It dug deep, poked at him, lured him, danced around him like an invisible being. It was an unfamiliar energy, neither hostile nor friendly. "What do you want?" he shouted aloud. At that moment, it seemed as if the spell retreated, as if it feared him. Seconds passed, but he could still feel its presence. What are you trying to tell me?

He realized he had to act. He couldn't remain helpless. I'll open myself up just a little. I need to feel it more strongly. He decided to take the risk, to surrender. He had to if he wanted to break free. He took a deep breath and summoned the power that had been dormant within him. At first, he felt a twitch, like a sting, followed by energy flowing through his body. Suddenly, a shimmering mist began forming around his left hand, spiraling up to his elbow. The sensation was like a tingling, as if a million needles were pricking him.

"No!" he shouted aloud.

What he had hidden from the public for years began to emerge, and he couldn't stop it. The mist took the shape of a tail that wrapped tightly around his left arm, like a graceful creature. The light pulsed like a living thing. He roughly tore off his shirt and threw it to the ground. He knew what was coming. He looked at his left shoulder. A dragon's body adorned his arm, its head ending on his left pectoral. The dragon was coiled in a spiral, as if preparing for flight, and its tail wrapped around his upper arm, forming a closed circle of protection. It looked like a masterpiece crafted by a tattoo artist of Nordic art. A depiction of power and mysticism in one. His body was adorned with runes that shimmered on his skin, creating the illusion that the beast was moving. Then, the spell struck. Hard! One powerful blow, followed immediately by another. He didn't have time to react. A sharp pain in his chest knocked him back to his knees. He clutched his chest, gasping for air. The pain was sudden, but brief. It felt like he had been struck by lightning. He looked up and saw golden outlines of a door. It seemed as if a bright light was emanating from a room. Slowly, he stood up and stepped toward it. As he approached, a golden doorknob appeared. He hesitated, but something called to him. A strange force he couldn't resist. He had to open the door and see what was behind it.

He stepped into the room. It was a girl's room he had never seen before. The decor was dark. Black furniture, a dark rug, and the walls were adorned with posters of some metal bands. In the middle was a bed, and someone was sleeping on it. He cautiously approached and saw... Marina! He stopped, surprised, staring at her. His heart skipped a beat. She was beautiful, like a sleeping princess. She slept an enchanted sleep. He could hear her deep, calm breathing, which gave him hope. She's alive! But something wasn't right. He reached out to her. He wanted to touch her, to wake her, but he couldn't. He stretched his hand further, but she seemed to slip away. He couldn't reach her. He was so close, yet so far away. An illusionary spell! Some invisible barrier was preventing him. He could almost feel the softness of her golden hair falling over the pillow. He wanted to caress her, but he couldn't. She was so beautiful, natural, without makeup—just the way he loved her the most. Like pure light.

He looked around, searching for a solution, searching for the source of everything, but his enemy was invisible. He pushed harder, but the barrier wouldn't budge. He closed his eyes, focused. Oliver let his natural power flow through his body. He spread his palms wide and placed them on the invisible wall. The dragon wrapped around his arm slowly began to slide, changing the runes on its body. The bed slowly started to move away. His fingers filled with warmth, and light appeared around him, illuminating the room. A wave of energy surged through his body, and when he felt the peak, he opened his eyes and released everything inside him. There was a rumble, then a crash. The barrier shattered, and shards scattered around him like tempered glass. Now, nothing could stop him.

He approached the bed and gently took Marina's hand. Her fingers were like ice. He looked at her full, rosy lips. They called to him, beckoned him. His heart began to beat faster. He remembered the sweetness of her kisses. There was no more beautiful woman for him. He moved closer, drawn by her scent. He had never smelled it so strongly. Natural, gentle, untainted by perfumes. She smelled like rose petals in the morning dew. She was special.

He wanted her to wake up, to look at him with those deep blue eyes, to give him that beautiful smile of hers. He had her and lost her. Pushed her away in the worst possible way. He wasn't gentle, but he had no choice. She had to stay away from him.

Those lips! He looked at them again. They tasted of cherries and wild strawberries. Just one last kiss, he thought to himself. He lowered his face, so close that he almost touched her nose. He inhaled her scent deeply. He could recognize her among thousands of women; she was special. He tilted his head slightly and placed his lips on hers. The sensation was wonderful. So warm and tender. Magic flowed through them both, like a tingling. Slowly, he peeled his lips away from hers, and then something happened. Marina took a deep breath and began to change before his eyes. Her blonde hair turned black, her lips bright red, and her eyes framed with dark makeup. She suddenly opened her eyes, looking at him with hatred.

"Never again without my permission!" she thundered, then threw him back with a powerful spell.

For a moment, he stared at her in confusion. He had never felt such power, at least not from a female of his kind.

He began to quickly retreat from her, as if that same unknown force was pulling him away. "Marina!" he roared, reaching out his hand toward her, and then everything went black. He woke up confused, exhausted, unsure of what was real and what was a dream. Marina was real! He touched his lips with his fingers, a smile escaping him, but the seriousness of the situation quickly brought him back to reality.

He sat up. He was soaking wet. He quickly threw the blanket off himself and looked at his left arm. He was stunned. The golden body of the dragon was almost crawling across his left arm. The hiding spell had been undone. He jumped out of bed and closed the curtains. It was mid-morning. Something was wrong. That wasn't just a dream, and Marina was in danger. They were both in danger. He needed to go to her, but first, he had to hide his runes. No one could see them. He clenched his fists and decided to restore the spell that had hidden his secret for so many years.

He sharply commanded, "Apsconde illud!"

The dragon continued to crawl across his arm, drawing runes that glowed with bright light. He took a deep breath, then repeated more forcefully and decisively, "Apsconde illud!"

As he spoke, the runes shone brightly, then dimmed. This time, they didn't disappear. They remained permanently etched on his skin, like a black tattoo. He almost looked at his arm in panic. He knew that any serious wizard could recognize them. They were the marks of his powerful family, the strongest family of wizard.