I’ll prove you wrong

Lying in bed for days on end was like being trapped inside my own mind. My body was weak, heavy, but my thoughts were restless.

They raced and looped, replaying everything that had happened, every flame that had erupted from me, every time I lost control. And then, there was that dragon.

That black and red dragon.

It haunted my thoughts, coiled in the back of my mind like a living, breathing reminder of the power I had but couldn't understand. I kept trying to go back to that place the dark void where I had seen it, where it had spoken to me.

Every time I closed my eyes, I tried to will myself there, focusing hard on the memory of its cold, glowing eyes, the weight of its presence, and the sound of its voice. But all I got was blackness.

No dragon. No answers.

Just... nothing.

It was infuriating. I'd wake up drenched in sweat, heart pounding in frustration, as if I'd been running but never getting anywhere. I would stare at the ceiling, feeling more and more like a prisoner, not just in my room, but in my own body.

The fever had weakened me, leaving me sluggish, and despite my best efforts, I couldn't seem to shake it off completely.

How could I have been so powerful in that moment when the flames had erupted, wild and uncontrollable and now, I couldn't even connect with it? Couldn't even summon a flicker of that magic?

I thought back to my life before this... before I was reincarnated. I had been fit, healthy, strong. I spent hours training, working out, playing basketball, pushing my body to its limits.

And now... now I could barely lift my own arm without feeling the ache of fatigue. My limbs felt heavy, weighted down by something I couldn't shake.

It was maddening.

I shifted under the covers, turning over to look at the small window in my room. The sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting soft, golden light on the walls. I could hear faint voices outside, the sound of life continuing as normal while I was stuck here, useless.

I closed my eyes again, trying for what felt like the hundredth time to get back to that place. I focused hard on the dragon, on the feeling of heat and power that had surged through me when the red flames appeared. If I could just tap into it again, if I could just speak to it... maybe I'd understand.

But all I saw was darkness. Black, endless, suffocating darkness.

And nothing else.

No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I willed it, I couldn't reach it. It was like the dragon had locked itself away, just out of my reach, taunting me with its absence. The frustration gnawed at me, making me clench my fists beneath the blankets.

I couldn't help but wonder... what was that dragon? Why had it appeared to me? And why had it disappeared just as quickly, leaving me with this overwhelming sense of powerlessness?

Was it because I'm too weak?

The dragon had said I wasn't strong enough, that I was too weak to control the magic. The words stung, repeating in my mind over and over again like a cruel reminder of my inadequacy.

I couldn't stop questioning myself. Why can't I connect with it? What am I missing? 

I didn't have answers, and every failed attempt left me more frustrated than before. The dragon was out there somewhere but I couldn't reach it. I was too weak. Too... powerless.

Despite the care my family gave me my mother bringing warm tea, my father checking on me more often than I'd ever seen him do before, even Galen peeking in to make sure I wasn't dead it wasn't enough.

The warmth of their concern felt suffocating rather than comforting. It was like they were treating me like some fragile doll that might break at any moment.

And maybe I was. Maybe I had broken in some way.

But the more time passed, the more I realized that it wasn't just the fever that was weighing me down. It was the body I was in.

This new body, this body that wasn't mine. It was heavier, softer, more sluggish than what I was used to. It felt foreign to me, like I was wearing a suit that didn't fit right. 

I missed being strong. I missed the rush of adrenaline I used to get from exercising, from running, from pushing my body to its limits. Now, I felt every extra pound, every bit of weight that I hadn't earned through training, but through the endless meals that kept appearing at my bedside.

They kept bringing food rich, decadent, far too much for someone who had been lying in bed for days. But I knew better than to complain. I could see the worry in their eyes, the way they watched me closely, as if expecting me to collapse again at any moment. 

I couldn't bring myself to eat as much as they wanted, though. The idea of piling more food into my already sluggish body made me feel nauseous. I needed to move, to get out of this bed, to shake off this weakness.

But every time I tried to stand, my legs wobbled, and I would collapse back onto the bed, my body betraying me. I was stuck.

The frustration simmered beneath the surface, a constant companion to the fever that refused to fully leave my system. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, feeling the weight of it all pressing down on me the magic, the dragon, the unfamiliar body.

I can't stay like this.

I knew that if I stayed in this bed much longer, I would lose my mind. I needed to regain control, not just of my magic, but of my life. I couldn't let this body, this weakness, define me.

I'll change it, I thought firmly. Even if they keep bringing food, even if they don't want me to leave... I'll change it. I'll get stronger.

I could feel the resolve building inside me, pushing back against the hopelessness that had been creeping in.

I wasn't going to be weak. I wasn't going to let this new life control me. I was going to take control somehow.

But first... I needed to rest. I was still too weak to do much of anything, and the fever wasn't completely gone.

My body needed time to recover, and I needed to be patient, even though every fiber of my being was itching to get up and do something.

I sighed, turning over in bed again, trying to find a comfortable position. The blankets were soft and warm, and despite my frustration, I could feel my eyelids growing heavy.

I wasn't done fighting. Not by a long shot. But for now... for now, I had to let myself rest.

As I closed my eyes, the last thought that drifted through my mind was of the dragon. Its cold, glowing eyes, the way it had spoken to me with such disdain.

I'll find you again,* I promised silently. *I'll find you, and I'll prove you wrong.

And with that, I slipped into sleep, the weight of my thoughts finally giving way to the quiet darkness of dreams.