14

She just chuckled at me, "So informal. Back in my day you would've been gutted by my bonded for such talk."

"Such talk is common nowadays," I was glad I didn't feel any pain right now.

I was in a world of hurt before. Here though I didn't feel anything physically. Like that time I'd been ejected out of my body when the one beast had tried to take over my body only less violent. This felt more voluntary. As if I'd left my body behind willingly for a short while.

"Time is an odd thing," I could hear the smirk in her voice, "For me this is the first time I spoke to you. For you I don't know. Connecting to someone of my bloodline from such a far off time. While I'm destroying my own body, and soul. Hiding in here from the pain of my own death."

"You're dying right now?" I looked up at her.

"Yes," she smirked down at me, "My soul fragmented across time. Tethered to the last of my bloodline through the spell that made you the last of my bloodline."

"So does this place just exist throughout time," I slowly scanned the forge of worlds, "Or are our two times connected because of what you did."

"You really have no idea how full this place used to be," she chuckled again before turning serious, "But it all had to go."

"All of what had to go?" I stopped looking at the walls to look at her.

"The old ways," she stared straight ahead, "That stupid arrogant superiority." she shook her head slowly, "So much of the dragon race became so convinced that they were better then anything else out there that they hesitate at all. They didn't question it when the hatchlings started going missing. When they realized what was happening they rushed through all the open portals. Onto the poisoned worlds. I knew what would happen when if they came back." she sighed, "Strolling back with their damaged egos. Bonded both human, and dragon rejected, and treated as inferior. Leading to slavery, and stagnation. War, and so much death. Leaving behind a torched, and lifeless world."

"So you closed the portals, and sealed our world away," I knew the end of the story somehow, "You just didn't know it would take so long."

"What do you mean?" she glanced down at me.

"Most of the information you left for me is gone," I shrugged.

"For the information I left to degrade," she stopped to think a bit, "A great deal of time must have passed. A few hundred thousand years at least."

"You died a few hundred thousand years before I was born?" My wings fluttered.

"I won't be able to stay here much longer," she looked down at me, "I didn't know you would lose most of the inheritance I left for you. Perhaps I can make up for it a little. This will drain most of what I have left. I won't be able to give you anything like I did this time. My following echos will be much weaker if I do this."

"If you do what?" I flinched when she reached for me.

Her talons alone were the size of my head. She gently placed the dull side of her talon in the middle of my forehead. I was snapped violently back into my body. Energy coursed through my body. It wasn't healing me.

Time affinity uploaded. Time affinity level 1.

A headache hit me like a brick in the forehead. It felt as if my skull was cracking as a new pair of horns sprouted. Filling in my crown of horns a little more. My forced awareness of time made me feel nauseous. It didn't help that my body felt as if I'd been through a meat grinder backward.

As if my body were put together wrong. I drug my head off the ground slowly. My scales dragging on the ground audibly. I was alone in the warehouse I'd torn up. The air wasn't making my skin burn anymore so there was that.

My core didn't feel like it was about to break anymore. If it weren't for my new acute awareness of time, and the fact that I was starving I would never guess that a week had passed. I sniffed the air experimentally. I didn't smell an easy meal nearby. That meant I had to get up even though I didn't want to.

My bones felt almost as if they were creaking as I slowly stood up. Stretching each of my limbs cautiously as I tried to avoid hitting anything that might still be damaged. My wing membranes were particularly sensitive. Beyond soul sucking exhaustion, and muscle stiffness I felt fine. I started walking toward the outside.

Opening the door more about of habit then actual need since I'd destroyed the wall. I looked up into the sunlight instead of at the guards that were watching the building.

"Don't move Nix," I recognized the second guy that Calen brought along, "I know you understand me, so don't play stupid."

"I'm hungry," I loosened my wings up a little, "I'll stay right here if you bring me something to eat. Preferably meat."

"Meat?" he looked at me with a confused expression.

"Do I look like a salad lover to you?" I knew sarcasm wasn't necessary, but I really couldn't help it, "And a name would be nice. I've been thinking of you as the other guy Calen hangs out with."

"How much meat do you think we have?" the guy looked more taken aback then confused now.

"Did you forget that I can eat beasts?" I snorted, "I don't need anything from your reserves. One fresh beast carcass is plenty." I slapped the ground with the tip of my tail, creating a whip like crack sound, "Don't make me ask for your name again."

"My name is Clifton Jennings okay?" He held up his hands in a placating manner before turning to a few of the others, "Get him some fresh beast carcasses ASAP."