Trapped

The darkness crowded in on me, overwhelming everything with cruel ideas and thoughts that continuously tormented me. No! Kathgar, please help me! Why don't you understand?! Help me! I could do nothing as I was left there in a deserted area somewhere in the fire tribe territory. For a while, I paced, trying to find a way out. When nothing came to me, I started to try and find out how big this space was, only to never find a wall no matter where I went. At one point I kept trying to take control in order to kill myself, hoping to reverse the damage by freeing my mind from my dragon body. It seemed to be successful, all the way until it came to the death part. If I got close to achieving it, the oily beast would yank me away and send immense pain into my very soul. I eventually started to give up as no-one came around and no-one found me. What else could I do? Throw a tantrum like a child and demand to be released? Tried that, it hurt. It was futile to keep going without outside help, and I knew that, but it was hard to accept. From what I could tell, several years must have passed and yet there still wasn't any aid. I'd been abandoned.

I could hear men shouting and feel something akin to nets being placed over me, but was unable to even move. I was trapped in my own mind with no way out. The oily presence and voice would return whenever I started to regain control, but never allowed me to die. It was as if my body moved on its own, fulfilling enough to just barely stay alive. It's cold here, what happened? Was I caged? I hear muffled voices! I stood to try and move, only for a heavy weight to crash down on me. An energy flooded through me out of nowhere, clearing away parts of the oily demon with it. If I focused hard enough, I could see again, but not for long. I held myself and rocked, trying to stay sane. How long have I been in here, my body a cage? Using some of the energy I'd been given, I used my sight to see what looked to be a human boy sending mana into me. He's saving me? Why? It blurred slightly when he suddenly left my side, leaving. I could hardly tell what the three people in front of me were saying, but the moment I smelled the blood of the boy I felt outraged. Several moments passed and he was tossed to me, then they tried to take him back, only making me angrier. It wasn't long after that I was thrown away from my senses and shoved back into the void. I threw fits as I kept being denied, just like a child. How long have I been here? Wait, haven't I thought that before? Then, the outline of a consciousness drifted into being in front of me. It's the boy! Jerking away from the oily beast, I screamed, I cried, I whispered, I became a complete mess. I felt helpless when the boy left, afraid. No! Come back!

I fell over, hugging my legs and breaking down for the umpteenth time. I felt him come back only for him to leave again, over and over. It was worse torture than just being alone for eternity. After a long period of time went by, I started to lose my sense of self. Who am I? What am I even doing? This place isn't too bad...then a hand brushed my shoulder and I whipped around, looking at a human-shaped shadow. I grabbed it and tried to pull it closer, sensing it wasn't the same as the oily demon. It slapped my hand and I lost sight of it. In response, I screamed and fell, thinking it to have been a trick done by the oily beast. When I heard it start walking, I did everything in my power to blast it away. I hit my fists on the ground in frustration, then a sudden rush of mana swept over me and I'd managed to regain control. Glancing around, I caught sight of the boy from before and felt gratitude. I could tell part of me was still trapped and insane when I was ripped away and forced into the dark space again. I shrieked in despair, clawing at my head, arms, and the watery jelly-like floor. He was definitely trying to save me, but it only felt like he was making it worse--giving me momentary freedom only for it to be snatched away almost immediately.

It was a while after that I felt like I was being moved. Despite what I'd thought earlier, I had actually gained my senses after that one interaction. I blanked out and was brought back by an alarming amount of cheering that echoed around me and rang in my ears. A group of people started shoving and pulling me out of the dark cage and forced me into the open in what looked like an arena. After that, the gate across from me creaked open and a monster like the one I'd struggled against charged for me. In defense as well as hoping to die, I lay down and let it attack my scales. From my lifeless behavior, it grew bored and left me to sit there. Faintly, I heard a man saying something then heard a pained shout. The boy who'd been helping me was flung between me and the cawl, landing in what looked like a horrible way. That must hurt. My mind was only half there as I watched him creeping closer to me. When I saw the monster charge him, I reacted on pure instinct and tackled it. I was there while fighting, but could hardly pay attention. Inbetween, I stole a glance at the scared boy, then felt adrenalin flooding through me. With another clash, I found a way to stand next to him to protect him. But then, as I rolled around with it, I lost balance from a muscle ache. I hadn't eaten enough for this much movement. I collapsed, breathing out slowly to try and calm the pain.

Feeling as I did, I found myself retreating on my own into the void. It gave me the sense of being alone, no-one caring whether I lived or died. Then I saw the boy and the cawl targeting him. Mustering the last of my strength, I launched myself across the gap, immediately going for its throat. Tasting the sweet metallic tang of blood, I found myself ripping out its jugular and devouring it. As my energy drained, I automatically roared while standing on my prey, a natural action for dragons. Darkness filtered over my eyes and I felt myself fall. Now, having used up all the mana and power I'd been gifted to save the one who gave it to me, I could no longer control anything. A voice dripping with pure evil and spite hissed, "Surrender yourself."

I, in turn, screamed, "Never!" My mouth was dry and my throat stung. It was clear...I was steadily dying. Not my body, but my spirit--my soul. I could feel it being drained over time and the continuous weakness that accompanied it. If I don't escape from this thing, it'll end me in a way that can actually kill me. So what if someone goes back and forth between bodies and worlds? If their soul is damaged, then it makes no difference.

The spiteful voice roared, "Give in to me!"

"No…!" I covered my head and shrieked, sending out a shockwave to shove it away. Laying there crying, something on the outside started to bug me. Struggling, I was able to see through a single eye only to find the boy being beaten by a man. Irritated and defensive, I stopped using the energy to see and instead filed it to be used to hit the bars and growl. Luckily, I was able to make the man stop with only that much. Inside the void, as a tiny and frail human, I felt lonely and frightened. Before I knew it, I was banging my head on the floor, rocking, then screaming, and then I repeated. There was a gaping hole inside my chest and in my mind, but I couldn't do anything about it. Suddenly, someone was reaching for me. "Don't touch me!" I jerked away from it, but then something unexpected happened. The being had gotten on their knees, hugging me from behind. I panicked, fighting to get away in horror, but soon I discovered the gentleness in the hold and the kindness that was being given. It almost scared me more, but the comfort was seeping into me. I'm...not alone. I leaned into them, the iciness in my chest fading. The being slowly let go and vanished, leaving me there. I didn't see a reason to cry anymore, but now my thoughts were even harder to get straight.

My mind was all over the place, so I went back to rocking to try to slow it down. Then, the gentle being from earlier stepped in front of me and knelt, grabbing my shoulders. I met its eyes and felt an instant reply from my mind. There was pain, there was fear, there was sadness...a type of bond was shared as similarities between ourselves aligned. As this continued, everything began to shake, my mind beginning to clear and return. A strange and painful sensation in my head made me try to look away to make it stop, but the person in front of me grabbed my face to stop me. Suddenly, an oily and tar-like substance seemed to drip out of my mind, releasing its grip. The being disappeared again, but this time, I was remembering things. Standing up, I watched as the void cracked, falling apart to reveal a blue sky above and soft grass beneath. I'm...Zavi...with this realization, everything broke off even faster, disintegrating into nothingness until all I could see was a nice field surrounded by pine trees in a perfect circle. While I spun to see it, my long black hair started to turn the color of my scales, and with it, another memory. That's right...just before Xyon...the knowledge from the crystal! Relieved and overjoyed, my soul in a joy rush as it repaired itself, I activated the magic I'd learned, waiting to accept the new world.

As my consciousness returned, I found myself falling from the top of the cage and onto someone. A bit sore, I pushed myself up, looking down at the boy I'd landed on. His eyes were wide when gazing at me. I smiled at him for a moment, then couldn't hold it any longer and fell forward, hugging him as tears streamed down my face. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"