Heart of the Dragon

Chapter 1: The Nightmare

Adora sat with head against her window staring out into the darkness, escaping into the peace and quiet of the night as opposed to the horrors of her nightmares that had her waking in a cold sweat. She has had the same recurring nightmare haunting her for a few years now, ever since she discovered what she is. Each time she has it it seems all the more real.

It is always the same. Adora is walking around her parents property and enjoying the outdoors and the quiet of the night when she hears it. Her parents screaming in terror, calling out for help and yelling at an unknown assailant. "Help! Someone please help!" Hearing the screams she runs in the direction of her parents and does not stop till her parents are in sight. Heart pounding, she arrives only to discover a sight that makes her freeze on the spot and her blood turn to ice.

Standing there are her parents, surrounded by fire with a look of sheer horror on their faces. The flames around them closing in while her father shields her mother from the one who started the fire. Standing there in front of her parents is none other than Adora herself. "Adora, stop this instant! What do you think you are doing?", screams her father. Her mother stands behind her father begging her dream self to stop. "Please Adora! We are your parents, we love you!"

"Love me...LOVE ME!" The dream Adora shouts. "How can you love the very thing you hate? Every day I have to listen to you talk about how mutants are freaks and diseased. About how you think some mutants are cursed or even serve Satan himself. You don't even fully trust the ones who are heros and protect you!"

Adora can do nothing but watch as the nightmare continues to unfold in front of her. As her dream self continues to speak, her body starts to change into something that is no longer human.

"Do you have any idea what it's like?" Asks her dream self as her body starts to change shape right before her parents eyes. Scales replace skin, wings grew from her back, and horns appear on top of her head as she starts to grow in size. "How it feels to have to hide from the people you love? The very people who are supposed to love and protect you no matter what."

Again her mother steps forward and tries to reason with her. "Adora stop! This is not you, you are sick!" "I am not sick Mom!", came the angry reply. Her father, now more angry than afraid, pulls her mother back. "She's right, she is not sick, look at her. She's a possessed monster!"

"I am not a monster or possessed!" Her transformation complete, what is left standing in the fire is no longer human. There in her place stood a large, fire breathing dragon. "You are a monster, look at yourself! No daugher on mine would ever do this! You are a freak!" He says.

Adora looked on helpless as her dream self let out a thundering roar that made the very ground shake. Her parents dropped to their knees screaming in terror and calling for help. No help would come though. The center of the dragon's chest and along her neck starts to glow a fiery red between her scales. She draws in a deep breath blows out a powerful jet of fire that consumes her parents.

"Noooo!" Screams Adora, finding her voice as she watches her parents be burned alive. When the beast stops she takes notice of her and turns in her direction. Her large mass causing a loud thump with each step. "What have you done?!" She screams at the monster before her. " I got rid of the people who hurt us the most. They hated and feared us because they did not understand what we are. It was only a matter of time before they turned on us or handed us over to become some government lab rat. We lived our lives in fear of the true monsters." Casually explained the dragon as if humouring a small child. "We? How can you say we? We are not the same person! I would never do this!" Screams Adora as her body shakes with anger and grief.

The dragon scoffs, "You knew it was only a matter of time before it happened. All it will take is one bad day, just one moment for you to lose control and give in to the monster inside you. Give in to the fire and watch the world burn around you and turn to ash."

"No, I will never become you! I would never use such power for cruelty and destruction."

The dragon chuckles, "Oh, but Adora, it has already begun."

With that, she disappears, leaving Adora alone with the charred land around her. As she starts for the spot she last saw her parents, she catches sight of her hand. Gone is the pale skin and slender hand that she is used too. In it's place is a massive dragons scaled hand and sharp talons. Adora lets out a scream of terror only for the deafening roar of a dragon to be heard.