Atlantis

Dragon

I walked slowly over to the voice but heard a hiss. "Don't come over here demon filth." I stopped. "Where were you? I needed your help." I walked closer and closer to the voice as endless comments both good and bad were made towards me. Then I reached a wall of thorns and trees that went up into the sky. There was no room to crawl through so I summoned a reluctant Bruiser to blast the wall. 

"Let me go back I don't want to do this!" the canon struggled against me for all it was worth.

"Why are you guys so cowardly all of a sudden?" I said as Bruiser went back to my skin. I'll fly over I thought bringing out my wings. I looked up then sighed I couldn't fly into the storm there must be a way to get through the wall. Just as I went to walk around the barrier a prescience hit me like a tidal wave. My fear surfaced once again and yet in it was a sense of longing to see someone.

I had felt this when I saw Victor transform into the monster he really was inside. No I could not let myself believe what was wrong or I would believe it to be the truth all my life. I decided to rip the wall away. My hands were bleeding and sore but somehow I was in a panic as if the person on the other side of the wall was in danger and I could save him.

I knew who it was right before I tore away the last vine. I felt my drive weaken and my breath catch. Finally I managed to persuade myself to tear away the last one and face the scene inside. It was bright as the moon shone with full luminous beams down into the circular alcove. The moss was brown and dying while the thorns surrounding the place were flourishing in the trees.

In the middle was a circle that glowed with strange lettering and symbols. It was a magic circle, it's purpose was to contain. I was standing on its outer rim when the hole I had made closed behind me. I clenched my fists that were covered in sticky blood. There was a lump of a creature in the center and I called out softly, "Jerry is that you?"

"Yes but I am a monster at the moment. You may want to come back later when I change back." Jerry said in his persuasive voice.

I had to fight everything to just stay in place. My fear diminished as I looked at the lump. "Nah I want to talk to you. It's been awhile hasn't it?"

"Over a year."

I flinched how'd he know where I had been all this time? I felt the demons crawl on my skin anticipating a fight. "Your up to speed then. But it hasn't been a year for you."

"Feels like it." I heard a grunt as if he were holding back something.

"hey do you have anything to eat I'm starving." I said taking a step forward onto the magic circle. The lump stirred but no figure was revealed.

"If I had food I would have eaten it. I am hungry as well because somebody locked me up in here with his buddy." I kept walking forward as if it were the natural thing to do. A plot was underway and I needed to find out what it was before I became the victim if I wasn't already.

"That's a shame should I go get something then? It seems useless to talk on empty stomachs." I laughed as I neared the lump.

"Why? There's a perfectly good meal that just walked into the dragons cave." I paused as the lump unwound like a snake and stood up in the moonlight. The scales of its tail were the red of embers in the bottom of a fire. Warm wind touched my skin heating my cold bones. Translucent gold wings flared into the sky as a ten foot tall dragon stood in front of me looking down. It walked on two legs as the hind legs were positioned in a way that forced it to stand like a human. Its arms we're long but just a bit shorter than the hind legs. At the end of the arms were long ivory claws like fingers. It had a three foot long neck that curved to meet a long angular head that showcased golden eyes. It had small spikes down its back and a golden belly.

"Beautiful." I said marveling at the creature.

"What?" Jerry grinned. "I was going to eat you and yet you call me beautiful."

"No I didn't!" I said turning to hide my embarrassment. Was there any form he wasn't godlike in appearance?

"I'm touched." he said giving a small chuckle deep in his throat.

"Stop it!" I said giving his stomach a small punch. "You're always teasing me. I can't help that you are so damn handsome." I said giving a slight smile.

"Thats the look you should be wearing." Jerry said bending to my level.

"What are talking about?" I said crossing my arms.

"You seemed depressed when you came in."

"Yeah I thought you were in danger moron but it turns out you just took a growth spurt. Next time people are hunting for you in the woods don't sound so crazy." I said.

"I just might be going crazy being locked up in here with only myself for company." Jerry said with a sigh.

I looked at him trying to hold back the urge to tell him he wasn't alone in this. I had cursed blood too but I'm sure his was fighting for control every minute of the day. I had Amanda to keep me sane but he didn't have anyone. "You think the dragons going to win since that was what you were raised by?" I said seriously.

"No the vampire has just a good of a chance since I just went through that transformation. Actually it was harder to control than I thought it would be so I asked Victor to help out. Turns out he can do black magic." Jerry said looking at the glowing circle beneath us.

"Victor did this?" I asked looking at the circle.

"With the help of the cat."

I felt a pain pierce my heart. "I guess you can't break it."

"Not without losing control of myself. I just have to wait out the storm inside my body and then I could easily break this weak attempt at black magic." Jerry said looking back at me.

"What's it like inside?" I asked looking into his eyes. I wondered if my blood would torment me like Jerry's.

"Turbulent. The vampire is tired from its win so the patient dragon is gathering strength to fight it off while in power. They haven't reached my mind yet though so I'm trying to brace myself for that war. I'm guessing after the week is up that I'll be back to normal for awhile. I'll see small changes in behavior and appetite possibly abilities. Then before I know it I'll be in a battle for my sanity and if I can't win I'll die like every cursed person before me."

"I guess that's where we differ." I said unfolding my arms. Jerry tilted his head and I sighed. Should I tell him? I guess I owe him that much for calling him a demon and looking at his past back before I knew any better. "Remember how I said that I'm from another world?"

"Yes you and Amanda."