Cat Scratch Fever

Chapter 11

"In his prime, Ddraig's fire was unparalleled. It would never stop burning until the victim was ash, no matter what. You possess within you the same fire, though you know not how to use it."

Tannin was sitting cross-legged on a high rock, looking down at Dragon-Issei. The two of them were at the summit of Scaleheart Peak, which was currently experiencing a snowstorm. Of course, the snow evaporated long before it ever touched Issei's hide, and though Tannin's scales were far cooler (being a purple dragon) the frost was hardly a hindrance to the Meteor Blaze Dragon either.

Issei was crouched down, his two hind legs flat while his two front were straightened out and supporting his full weight. He impatiently waited for Tannin to get to the point, not one for drawn-out lessons.

"For you to discover the fire within yourself, you must meditate on what it truly means to burn. Ddraig achieved the might of his flames through massacre and violence. You will do it peacefully. That will be your power- your tranquility will become your strength."

"What strength is there to be found in tranquility? Should I not use Ddraig's power to the fullest?" Issei asked, confused.

"Ddraig was hated and feared by all. You will match his achievements, but you will not follow his footsteps."

'Ddraig?' Issei telepathically asked for confirmation from his partner.

[Tannin speaks the truth. Do as he instructs, drake.] The wyrm spoke into Issei's mind, a remorseful edge to his voice. After being sealed, Ddraig had very many years to reflect on his actions, and he understood that his slaughter was nothing short of abhorrent. He did not wish Issei to turn out the same.

"Alright..." Issei was a bit unsure. He was fine with meditating, and he was more than fine with not committing a massacre to gain power, red dragon or not. That said, to him, it seemed like a weird way to boost his flames' power.

"Do you know the dragon's word for fire?"

Try as he might, Issei could not come up with the word. In the heat of the battle the day prior, he had been able to come up with only a single word, and even that he really hadn't understood.

"No."

"There is but one. 'Ixen.' It describes the fire as a primordial concept, the likes of which you have no words for. It is the inferno, the destruction of the blaze. It is the light and heat, the creation of the flames. There are a thousand words in a thousand languages, all describing the same thing- Ixen. Say it."

"Ixen."

Issei felt something in him tingle, just a bit. He wasn't quite sure how or what, but something felt odd when he said the strange word.

"Now, say it again, and feel it- feel the fire, feel the inferno. The power of the flame is within you." Tannin accentuated his words with fire, exhaling flames from his nostrils.

Issei reached out with senjutsu. There was nothing to pull ki away from on the dreary peak, so he pulled from himself. His own energy, flowing in and out through him in a recursive loop. Dragons, Kuroka had taught him, had seven chakras, just like humans. His ki flowed freely through all of them, sharpening his mind and senses.

"Ixen." As Issei said the word, he felt something shift inside again. The snow around him turned to steam, and drops of liquid fire fell to the ground from the edges of his maw. He envisioned a lone tree, ablaze under a starless night sky.

"See it in your mind's eye- not a force of suffering or pain, but a primordial power of creation. Fire lights our universe, and staves off entropy. It is not merely a tool for destruction, and it is not just life. It is change given form. Say it again."