3. Dragon Maiden

Finally, she forced her gaze away from the body of green liquid. Suyeong's eyes explored the cavern's architecture around her. "What is this place," She murmured.

The cavern shook, "The pool of youth. Bathe in it." Hearing the Dragon's voice, she looked around the space, getting back on her feet, she saw a spark of blue at her side. Forming from the spark was the body of a small serpent with four legs and antlers protruding from its head.

The little serpent took the form of the gigantic Dragon God that had been staring at her moments ago, its gaze still as piercing and heavy as before.

Not questioning its size change, she looked the tiny Dragon in the eyes.

What? She thought. "Bathe in it?" Muttering the Dragon God's words, she observed the green liquid in silence. She contemplated the point of bathing in such strange liquid.

She blinked her eyes as the green vapor rising from the pool of liquid was causing them to burn. "What point is there in that? I already remain forever youthful. It's in my blood. The pool is of no necessity to me."

"My blood is indeed strong within you... but once I enter your body, the pool shall keep your body from succumbing to my power."

"Is it the only way?"

"It is the only way."

Suyeong lulled in her thoughts. Previously she had planned to simply move about aimlessly when she made it to land, but this would give her purpose and the ability to give peace to her friend.

She thought to herself, if it is the only way, "...Very well then." She tossed her bag off to the side and tapped her fingers against her legs. "Let us start."

Approaching the pool, she turned her back to it. Facing the small Dragon, she gave it a nod, and at once it rushed at her, piercing into her chest. She lurched forward in pain, yellow, red, blue, green, and purple lightning-like veins began to spread all over her body.

The pain was excruciating, she couldn't think. It felt like- no, her skin was peeling off muscles. She could hardly contain her screams. She fell back with a cry of pain, the feeling of lighting striking directly at her heart - the organ stopping suddenly.

With a loud splash, her body came in contact with the pool of vile-looking green liquid. Suyeong's eyes slightly closed, the light in them dimming, her body going limp as it drifted to the bottom of it.

Suyeong's body, a still corpse, at the bottom of the pool her clothing began to burn as the lightning within her body grew in intensity, a glow from the different colors able to shoot through the surface of the green pool.

Then, her body began to shake, bend and pulsate. The skin and muscles on her bones began to repair themselves. Her fingers twitched; thumping began to pound in her chest, and the liquid in her lungs filtered out.

Her body pulsed, sending a shockwave throughout the pool. The next moment, her eyes widened, pupils dilated as lightning coursed through them.

One moment she was lying at the bottom of the pool the next, in a flash of white she was on her knees outside the pool. Her clothes were rags and she fell into a coughing fit, trying to remove the green liquid from her throat.

The lightning veins continued to glow across her body, the burning from them waking her from the experience of her death.

Finally clearing her throat, she clenched her eyes shut, repeatedly opening and closing her fists at the residual pain, the lightning in her veins receding.

The event had finally passed, and Suyeong was finally able to calm her mind. Through labored breaths, she was finally able to choke out some words. "I-I... I died." She breathed out.

It was... an experience she had never expected to experience, well at least never expected to come back from. When she died, she saw flashes of red and a corpse dressed in black with a red lightning insignia on its chest.

It appeared to be looking for her, but she was hidden. The world appeared to be frozen, yet the creature moved at high speeds that she was somehow able to see with very vivid detail.

"What was that? Happened to me?" She questioned to the air.

The silence of the cavern was broken by the mystical voice of the Dragon. "That, that was death, my child." He answered. "My powers overpowered your body, you died, and my powers combined with the powers of the pool resurrected you while attuning your body, allowing you to have them at your disposal."

Right, she thought. I only had to die.

Tapping her fingers on her legs, she looked down at her body as she was now practically in the nude. Other than her lack of clothing, she ran her finger over the new scars that spread across her entire body.

There was now a Lichtenberg figure on her skin, like the limbs of a tree the scar branched out all across her body. "Is this permanent?" She questioned.

"Yes."

The lack of hesitation in his answer caused the woman to grumble. At least the scars were nice to look at, she thought. "I need clothes."

At her demand, a large scale fell through the ceiling, crashing into the ground in front of her. The scale was a deep black that faded into a misty blue. Simply from the shine of its edges, Suyeong could feel the scales' sharpness.

"Take my scale. It will fit all your needs. Clothing, armor, and weapons. All that will prove valuable in your journeys ahead."

Nodding, she stretched out her hand. At contact, a bright light blinded her. Once she came to, she felt the snug-fit clothing wrapped around her entire body. On her figure was a black Hanfu with gold accents that transitioned to an ashy gray at the bottom ends.

Tapping her feet which were now covered in black tactical boots, she let out a breath of impressment. "You never cease to amaze, Dragon God."

Other than feeling like the finest silks and looking quite nice, the Hanfu nearly covered the Lichtenberg scars, excluding the scars that spread to her hands and the branches that crawled up her neck to her right cheek.

An aged growl echoed around throughout the cavern "It is now time for you to depart, my child." It stated.

"...Very well. Will-" She paused. "Will we speak again?" Her question hung in the air for a moment, its silence causing disappointment to pang in her heart.

Shaking her head, Suyeong looked around once more, finding a source of light, she grabbed her discarded bag and made her way out of the cave, the entrance leading to the shore where her boat was waiting for her.

Before she could take a step out, she paused at the serpentine voice, "Perhaps, if you ever need me. The gems on your neck will hold my power to keep you from being detected. You simply have to will it and the power will be yours to use."

With that information, the voice faded away, and with the voice, so did the island, Suyeong now standing atop her boat.

Her eyes were a storm of green and brown, she couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips. Turning away, she put her gaze out to the distance.

Letting loose the sails, she plopped down in her seat, returning to counting her gold coins. Allowing the wind to lead the way.

***

It was within sight. In the short distance, her eyes landed on the docks of a harbor town. People and boats were moving about, larger more luxurious ones sitting off to the side, isolated from the others.

She watched as the harbor grew closer and closer, her ship pushing itself forward through the calm waters. Closing up her bag of gold, she threw it over her shoulder with the other bag.

Standing at the moment her boat shook, making contact with the pier. Stepping over the sides of the ship, she took a look around her and then looked at her boat, pondering over what to do with it.

"Hey!"

Hearing the yell of a man coming her way, Suyeong looked to where the pier met with the land. Dressed in cargo shorts, a short-sleeved shirt and a bucket hat. She wasn't sure what language he was speaking, yet she could understand it for some reason.

The way he spoke reminded her of some of the guests that had visited the island throughout her life, some before the war and a few after. At the thought of the travelers she met, she was reminded of a particular mystic user.

"Hell-o?" Speaking slowly, she was surprised at her words twisting into the same language being spoken to her. Pausing in curiosity, she stared blankly at the man in awkward silence.

Looking down at her clothes, the man looked at her with raised brows. "Um, miss? Where are you from? Can you understand me?"

Tapping a finger on her backpack strap, Suyeong nodded. She couldn't explain the causes behind her peculiar circumstances, but she could only think it had something to do with becoming an Avatar.

Pulling herself from her thoughts, she put her hands in her sleeves behind her back. Looking around at all the docked ships. Empty boats, yachts, and fishing boats that were unloading a variety of sea creatures.

Taking in a deep breath of the salty sea breeze, she sighed. "Where are we?"

Not thinking too far into the woman's strangeness, the man scratched the back of his head before taking out a worn-down cigarette case. Lighting one he took a big hit, letting out a breath.

"Well, we're no strangers to weirdos popping up out of nowhere, weirdos dressed as cheetahs and other animals prancing about all across the country. We're in Gateway City. California, dear."