A dragon

I opened my eyes, but everything around me was pitch black. It felt like I was floating in an endless void, with no sense of direction or time.

I blinked a few times, but the darkness remained, heavy and oppressive, pressing down on me like a thick blanket. Where was I? 

The silence was deafening. I took a deep breath, trying to calm the panic rising in my chest, but even the sound of my own breathing seemed muted, swallowed by the dark.

I pushed myself up from where I lay if I was even laying on anything at all and stood up, but there was no sensation of ground beneath my feet. It was like I was suspended in nothingness.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice small and uncertain, swallowed by the vast emptiness. No response. No echo, even. Just the oppressive, all-consuming silence.

I took a step forward, my hands outstretched in front of me, hoping to feel something anything but there was nothing but the cold, empty air. My heart pounded in my chest, and a creeping sense of unease settled over me. This wasn't normal. This wasn't right.

"Where am I?" I muttered under my breath, trying to make sense of it all. Had I been dreaming? Was I still asleep? Or was this some sort of magic? 

I kept walking, each step slow and hesitant, but after what felt like an eternity, I saw something in the distance. A faint, flickering light just enough to break through the oppressive blackness.

My heart leapt with hope, and I quickened my pace, moving toward the light as fast as I could.

As I got closer, the light grew brighter, and soon, I could make out the shape of something a structure, maybe? It looked like… bars.

Like the bars of a cell. My footsteps slowed, and I approached cautiously, squinting through the darkness to see what was inside.

And then I saw it.

A massive dragon, curled up inside the cell. Its scales were as black as the void around us, gleaming like polished obsidian, but streaks of deep, blood-red ran across its body, tracing patterns like rivers of fire.

The creature was enormous easily towering over any building I'd ever seen, even curled up like it was. Its long, spiked tail was coiled around its body, and its wings, black as night, were folded tightly against its sides. 

Its eyes, glowing a fierce crimson, were locked on me, unblinking. For a moment, I couldn't move. I was rooted to the spot, staring up at the massive beast in awe and terror.

"What… what is this?" I whispered, more to myself than anything. 

To my surprise, the dragon stirred, lifting its head slightly as if it had only just noticed me. Its eyes narrowed, and a low, rumbling voice filled the space around us, vibrating through the very air.

"Well, well," the dragon said, its voice dripping with disdain. "I didn't expect you to come here, little one."

I took a step back, my heart racing. The dragon's voice was cold, almost mocking, and I could feel the weight of its gaze on me, like it was sizing me up. I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice.

"Wh-where am I?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly despite my best efforts to stay calm. "And… who are you?"

The dragon tilted its head slightly, a flicker of amusement crossing its face. "You don't know? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You've always been rather… clueless."

"I'm not clueless," I shot back, though the words felt hollow even as I said them. "Just tell me what's going on."

The dragon let out a low chuckle, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine. "You're in my domain," it said, its voice reverberating through the air. "This place… exists within you, in the deepest parts of your mind. And as for who I am…"

It paused, its eyes narrowing as it looked me over. "I am the one who controls the magic you so foolishly wield. The fire that burns within you? It's mine. And you've been playing with it like a child with a toy."

I blinked, trying to process what the dragon was saying. "Wait, you… control the magic? My magic?"

The dragon scoffed, a puff of smoke escaping its nostrils. "Your magic? No, little one. It's not *your* magic. You don't have the strength to control it. You've barely scratched the surface of what it can do. And even now, you're struggling, aren't you?"

My hands clenched into fists at my sides, frustration bubbling up inside me. "I didn't ask for this," I snapped. "I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't even know magic existed until a few days ago, and now you're telling me I'm using something I don't even understand? How is that fair?"

"Fair?" The dragon's lips curled into a sneer. "This isn't about fairness, little one. This is about power. And you… you are weak. Too weak to control the fire, too weak to control *me*."

I stared at the dragon, my mind racing. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut this dragon, this creature inside me, was the source of my magic.

The fire that had raged out of control, the power I couldn't understand… it was all because of this thing.

"But… if you're the one controlling the magic," I said slowly, trying to make sense of it all, "then… can you teach me? Can you help me control it?"

The dragon's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, it said nothing. Then, with a slow shake of its massive head, it spoke again, its voice colder than ever.

"No."

I blinked, taken aback. "What? Why not?"

"Because," the dragon growled, its voice low and dangerous, "you are not worthy. You are weak, foolish, and reckless. You let the fire consume you without understanding its power, and now, you expect me to guide you? To teach you?"

I opened my mouth to argue, but the dragon cut me off with a snarl.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous this magic is? How easily it could destroy you—and everyone around you? You're a child playing with fire, and you don't even realize the danger you're in."

"I know it's dangerous!" I snapped, my voice rising. "I saw what it did! I hurt people because I couldn't control it!"

"And you will hurt more," the dragon said coldly, "if you continue like this. Your body cannot handle the full force of this power. If you try to use too much, it will consume you. You will burn from the inside out."

I swallowed hard, the weight of the dragon's words sinking in. This was more than just some magic I didn't understand. This was something far more dangerous than I'd realized.

"So… what am I supposed to do?" I asked, my voice small. "If you won't help me, then what?"

The dragon's eyes gleamed in the darkness, a cruel smile playing at the edges of its mouth. "You will learn the hard way, little one. You will either grow strong enough to control the fire… or you will be consumed by it."

Before I could respond, everything around me began to fade. The dragon's massive form blurred, the darkness around us dissolving into nothingness. I felt myself falling, weightless, as the world slipped away.

And then, everything went black.