A Tale of One Deviant (Book One)

Chapter 128: By My Troth, On My Life, For My Love

I left. I didn't think to go back, ever again, for any curiosity or profound need to see if the ending would change, but instead took refuge in the city. I found someplace that looked vaguely safe after scoping out the surroundings, hunkered down, and numbly stared through the slats of the melted metal roof.

     Can we...?

     Pull her out? Takuya apathetically said, staring up at the sky through my eyes. I think we should.

     Working in silence, Takuya and Kaya went to attend the problem of me being stuck in that pool. I didn't really pay attention as I was too unfeeling, unblinking as I dazedly stared upwards. I vaguely knew what had happened, but I didn't really want to think.

     We're going to do it now, be prepared.

     I didn't hear that, but soon enough my vision blacked out and I felt like I was suffocating. It didn't hurt, really, because I hadn't been breathing before they went to tug me out. It was over quite fast, and soon enough I could look out in reality and breathe.

     My senses weren't so intense anymore, so I didn't automatically see 23x better than after I was pulled out, instinctively listen for predators, or smell the surroundings for fire or some other dangerous thing.

     I lifted my hand, turning my head slightly to look at it, and saw no claws. I flexed the small brown thing, seeing the tiny fingernails and lines on my palm, the light blue veins under my skin and the muscles that were still forming as I grew up. Good as new. I was a different color than before I became a Dragon - I wasn't aware that you could get tan with scales, but maybe that explained some things about the other Dragons when they took on human forms - but besides that, nothing had changed.

     I was wearing no clothes, I noticed when I looked down. There was a thin scratch on my abdomen, likely from when I scratched myself with my tail, but otherwise there was nothing there.

     I was just a plain human baby, one that was still the same size as when I last saw myself, having not grown a bit. For a seven year old, I was slightly small for my age. Hm...well, thinking about how tall Hera and Adri were when they were seven, I had no doubt I would catch up in no time. They were still cute even when they're seven, about to turn eight years old...I think. Their birthdays were next year. Actually, what day was it? I was still six years old, wasn't I?

     We've lost track of time.

     Wasn't it autumn last we were paying attention? Snow was just beginning to come down in Kera, at our cave there.

     Octav, I think. Beginning or end, I can't remember.

     I lifted up my hands and felt for my ears, finding that they were rounded. I touched my nose, felt the curve of my eyes, smoothed my eyebrows down, wiggled my nose. I ran my hands through my hair, finding that it was automatically combed for me, seeing that it was somehow already down to the middle of my back. I didn't remember it being like that, but I couldn't remember what it felt like to be human at all. I was sure that we woke up mid-Septi from the egg event, when I won the bet. Being a Dragon for two months had screwed up my orientation; I didn't think I could stand properly if I tried.

     Are you going to continue sitting there forever, or are we going to get going? Also, check your Status, we need to see if your stats have been reset or not. That would be a problem, seeing how we need to be ready to fight next week. Kaya, you too. Snap out of it.

     But Takuya...

     I don't care. If you continue on like this, nothing will ever get done. Now, you don't want me taking control of our body, do you? Stand up on your own.