What Was Missing

Fifteen: -Max-

Crusty-eyed, I awaken not to black, but to a startling prison of grey and green.

Everything's blurry, and yawning away my exhaustion as I gradually wipe my eyes, I readjust, trying to get comfortable. Need more sleep... What time is it? My vision slowly clears, and I finally realize I'm not in bed.

Toto, we're not in Texas anymore...

A second ago, I was falling out of a window towards my death. Past the greenest grass, towards the gaping hole, then... I can't remember anything after that. I must've been... knocked out, somehow. But how did I make the jump?

It's hard to rise to my feet, but sucking in the oddly warm air and stretching out my aching limbs, I force myself to raise as I blink incredulously at my surroundings.

The room is mostly darkened, save a few faint beams of light drafting down from far above. Below me spans a thick-wire floor, a grid of metal with grass struggling up and about from between the gaps. It's like a chicken cage, I realize, but only much larger. My estimation is... about the size of a small town. The grey, shiny webbing literally expands about half a mile ahead of me, a good fifty yards to the left and right, and the ceiling, well, I can't even see it. The walls are made of the same material, but it's hard to make them out. It's much too foggy... The warm, white mist drifts between my fingers, but waving my hand, it parts a bit before my eyes.

I can barely view a large, unfocused form laying ahead, but squinting, I still can't identify it. Stepping forward to check it out, I immediately trip on something warm and soft, falling to the ground with a grunt. It's surprisingly humid, and staring at the limp body below me, I'm glad I have my ridiculous clothing.

Said body, upon closer inspection, wears pink and red pajama clothing, and has blond-brown hair. As it groans, stirring, I realize it's Madeline.

"Maddy!" I whisper at the top of my lungs, and scrabbling off, feel her pulse. She's alive, and as she wipes her eyes and props herself up, I sigh in relief.

"...Father...?" She mutters dreamily, and I shake my head. "No, Maddy. It's Max, remember?" As I utter those last words, her eyes widen, she jolts upright, twitches, and collapses back to the floor. "Maddy?!" I exclaim, shaking her in panic.

No luck. She's breathing deeply again, out cold, and there's nothing I can do about it. Holding my hand high above her mouth, I can tell she's still inhaling and exhaling, but she doesn't respond to a tap or a pinch.

Rising to my feet once more, I walk towards the larger form. Maybe it's something that can get us out of here...? It comes apparent, and I immediately fall back.

Okay, I know I shouldn't be that startled. I've already seen one of these things before, I know, but this dragon? This one's huge! It's curled up, assumedly in sleep, but the mere force of its breath rustles my swim shirt. It's similarly built as the dragon who's house I was in, but with pale green scales and yellowed horns. A nest lies beside it, and kneeling down, I view three cracked eggs, and a pure white, glowing dagger. The small sword sends a sense of déjà vu prickling down my spine, but as I shudder and look away, the feeling dissipates. Rising back to my feet, I take one last look at the blade, but then shake my head and retreat back to Maddy. There's no knowing what it might do... or why I feel like I've seen it before.

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It's been a while, now, laying down with my arms folded behind my head. For a good hour I've been staring into the fog above, playing with stray grass, or yawning into the sky. I can't really do much, with Maddy helpless on the ground to my right, and so I relax and wait for her to wake. If she wakes. No. When she wakes. She has to wake up...

Putting my arms to each side, I start to drift off to sleep, and fade away in the comforting arms of the... prison? No, not a prison...

I don't know how I know the name of it, but somehow, I know...

The... Dragon Room.

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Helloooo! Sorry about the last three short chapters, I have my reasons. They've been leading up to something big, and nobody, not even me, knew what it was until now! The next few chapters will all be Maximilian's...

...in his Reckoning.

Happy reading!

-DraconisSolutus