Reclaiming

The only part.

*A/N. (I think it means "Author's Note") This was written on very small pieces of paper, so the "paragraphs" look quite long on the paper, but very short on here. Okay, that's all. Enjoy!*

The darkness seemed to swallow me whole. The world looked different in the dark. The only light that barely permeated the wall of black was the flame flickering in my hand.

The darkness seemed to be trying to put out the flame in my hand. It pressed against me, sending a chill up my spine.

The dead leaves crunched beneath my feet, sounding abnormally loud in the silence. The crunch would have been welcome in the daylight, but now it only made me feel more alone out here.

The darkness finally succeeded in putting out the flame in my hand. I tried to reignite it, but to no avail. I had to continue in darkness.

The air became cold. The wind blew against me, as though it were trying to urge me away. I ignored it, and pressed on.

I thought of casting a protective spell against the wind, but decided it would be a waste of energy. Whatever force had put out my flame would most likely do the same to any spell I cast.

The wind howled around me, and I clutched at my robes. The trees offered no protection. Then the skies opened up, gentle snow drifting down around me.

I shivered, the cold seeping into my robes and skin. The wind continued to batter me as I stumbled forward. I was growing desperate. I lit the tree next to me on fire. It was easily engulfed in the hungry flames.

It burnt out all too soon. The temporary warmth was enough to give me energy to keep me moving, though.

The ground was now covered in snow. It was a soggy, mushy snow. The kind that seeps through your boots, and chills you to the bone. The snow became heavier. It came down faster. I felt numb.

I had to continue, though. My vision was poor but I knew I had left the forest behind. The wind drove me to the ground, shivering uncontrollably.

I began to slowly crawl my way forward. I had to reach the edge. I must.

When I thought I could go no farther, the snow stopped. The wind ceased its howling. I pushed myself up and gazed before me.

The sun shown brightly down upon me, warming me. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue. There was no snow as far as I could see. The only wind was a gentle breeze that carried the scent of spring.

I could hardly believe what was before me. The warmth of the sun flooded through me, and I no longer felt numb. I rose.

Stumbling forward, I gazed up at the altar before me. There were carvings of many things that seemed entirely unrelated. This was the place. This is what I had been sent to do.

I do not really understand why they chose me. There were others, older, wiser. There were younger, more energetic ones. They had only told me I had great willpower, and they trusted I would accomplish this task.

I took the wooden bowl that was sitting at the foot of the altar and filled it with scales. Each had a different color. Then I began to murmur the incantation, saying it slowly and pronouncing each syllable clearly. I could not mess this up. I had only one try.

I set the bowl down before the altar again as I finished the incantation. The began to glow, brighter, brighter, and brighter, until they burst into flames. I stood calmly watching, and prayed silently this would work.

The dragons had sent me, of all of us, to attempt the ritual. Twenty years ago we had been deprived of ourselves. We lost the ability to be dragons. We became mortal, and some fell into such a great depression they had fallen ill and passed on. Others, like me, had researched during these twenty years for a solution. And it seems we had found one.

The carvings in the altar began to glow faintly. The green scale turned to ash, and the flower pulsated green. The red burnt out and the flame glowed a bright red. The sun purple. The earth brown. The moon black. The hourglass bronze. The stars blue.

I inhaled swiftly, and held my breath. The dragon carving at the top of the altar glowed fiercely with all the colors, and it grew so bright I had to shield my eyes. The colors burst from the top of the altar, shooting straight into the sky as a brilliant rainbow.

A warm feeling spread through my body. I shut my eyes and leaned my head back, and laughed. I reveled in the feeling that had been stripped from me. We had waited twenty years for this.

I opened my eyes and roared as my fragile human body became that of a majestic blue dragon. My true form. I took to the sky.

The dragons have returned.