"No, no this can't be happening. It's just a dream. It has to be." I scream in a deep raspy voice that's not mine.

Lying in front of me are a dozen statues of various dragons with expressions ranging from excitement to confusion and lastly to terror.

Just a week ago I was just another dragon in the academy. I was the top of my class but unlike the rest of my kin I hadn't been able to break the spell placed on me at my birth binding me to a human form. I didn't care much. It's not like I needed to fight and I was skilled enough in flight magic that only the wind dragons could out speed me. My lack I just chalked up to being an orphan since all the other kids had their parents and sibling's help with breaking the spell.

And last night I'd finally figured out the breaking point. It turned out my true form was a fair bit different then other dragons. For starters it was serpentine so I had to erase my legs rather than strengthening them and mainly my magic was centered on my eyes instead of the lungs like most dragons. I guessed I was simply a holy serpent, a powerful creature capable of gazing into a person's soul. How wrong was I.

"Keep your eyes on the ground Amarok." The voice of the headmaster came at me from the sky. I could feel his magic filling to ground as the earth rose forming a cone around my head, leaving me in darkness. "So this is what you were."

"Please, there has to be a way to cure them! I don't care what you need! I'll get it!" I yelled trying to grab my head with arms far to small to reach.

"I'm sorry young Lindworm. The unfiltered gaze of a Basilisk has no cure. It's the reason your kind was exterminated all those centuries ago. Or almost exterminated."

"Then please, finish the job. I won't stop you."

"I've already lost twelve of my students today Amarok. If I lost thirteen, I'd have to close the school for fear of these grounds being cursed."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"I am not a king, I'm a teacher. I don't give orders, I give choices. You're a good boy Amarok, as are your friends. They will forgive you regardless of what you do but if you seek the advice of an old man with one too many sins on his back, if you ever wish to accept their forgiveness you better prove to yourself that this life was worth there's. May the Celestials bless you."

"What is it, Azera?" Juniper walked over to sit next to her friend on a bench outside the school.

"I- I went to the library last night after school. And I found something."

"A way to break your human chains?" Juniper's canine teeth turned into elongated fangs for a brief moment and her breath briefly smelled of some acrid odor that Azera couldn't quite pinpoint. "That sounds wonderful; I'm really interested to know what your true form looks like!"

"It's exciting, but, at the same time, it's kinda scary isn't it? Knowing that when the spell is broken and I'm no longer bound to this human form, I'll be able to exist as I was meant to be. It's just..."

"I mean, it is pretty nerve-wracking, after all. I remember the first time I saw myself in my dragon form. Besides, you know, being green, and being some three times taller and a lot stronger, it took a lot of time and energy to get used to changing between these forms; believe me, it's not as easy as they make it out to be in comic books! But you're like, the star student here at Hyperion Academy, and your magical aptitude is one of the greatest the Principal Everene has ever seen. So I know you'll do great, and we'll still be best friends! We'll even go on a flight around the country to celebrate!"

"But... that's just it. We've been operating under the assumption that this magical aptitude comes from my being a dragon like you are, Juniper. And, well, after I did some more research in the library last night... I don't think that's what I am." Azera started to cry, and Juniper sat down next to her and gave her a hug.

"Even so, we're still best friends forever. Even if you are just a human sorcerer with a lot of magical talent. I mean, I guess we won't be able to go on that flight together, but..."

"No, I'm definitely a bound creature like you ar- were. But, I checked the seal on me against a number of seals. I went to the library - the restricted section of the library. And I found something. It's not a seal of dragonbind - it looks like one, but the magic formulae used in the inscription are a bit different, and that's why the spell of unsealing didn't work on it. Ever since we met, we've been friends and equals under the assumption that we're both fellow dragons. And I'm scared that when I tell you what I found, that you won't treat me as an equal anymore!"

"No, that's not true. We're best friends forever, I promised you! I won't leave your side no matter what, and that's a promise I swear on my honor as a dragon." Azera smiled slightly; a dragon's promise made on their honor carried immense weight in draconic culture; breaking such an oath lightly carried the risk of being ostracized by dragonkind.

"If you believe that so strongly, then I want you to be here when I undo the seal. Yes, I found a way to do so; I started the spell last night, and I could tell by the way the spell resonated with the seal. I'm confident this is the right one."

Juniper stayed seated and watched while Azera stood up. A glowing circle and various insignias appeared on the ground at her feet, and a couple of passers-by turned and looked at the unbinding ritual about to be performed. Magical energy emanated from Azera as her hand glowed a pale blue; several students broke out in goosebumps and started shivering from the cold air around her. Once the buildup of energy subsided, Azera held out her hand, then placed it on her chest. She gently spoke the words. "Ritual of spiritual unbinding, release." Her entire body began to morph; it grew in height by a couple of feet, though she was still much smaller than most dragons in their natural forms, and her body maintained a humanoid appearance. And yet, her skin was a translucent blue, her eyes, pale white.

"I'm not a dragon, and I never was one, Juniper. This is my true form - a spirit of elemental ice; a Glacion. I was raised by dragons, yes, but I never was one. And, while I have one answer, I have many more questions."

Juniper stood up and, despite the cold of her friend's skin, gave her as big a hug as she could before recoiling from the frigidness. "Then let's work together to find those answers you seek, Azera. My best friend in the whole world."

After years of pondering, after years of trying everything, this scroll was left with my egg and might contain the answers I've been looking for. As a dragon I'm bound to a human form until I reach maturity for my species. My parents aren't my biological ones and have raised me from my tyrant days, from the days I learned magic, and what dragon families jokingly call the darker times. I sat there dumbfounded by this piece of paper with a wax seal, that my foster mother swears up and down that niether her, an Orc who has lifted a car to find me, nor my foster father, an elf sorcerer who has studied magic for his entire life, can open.

My hands trembled as I reached for it, as this would have the answers I've been looking for.

"Go on... Open it." Bel my foster mother impatiently let out, as Korzair, her husband pressed a finger to her lips.

"Relax dear, this is intense for him as it is for us." He let out and then placed a hand on my shoulder, "Take all the time you need Tyrion, and no matter what that scroll says we are always proud of you."

My hands still shaking as their words didn't calm my nerves as I used my fingernail to remove the seal, as a faint glimmer of magic was given off, as it accepted my touch. With a moment I looked at the seal as it melted into nothing. My heart was racing as I began to uncurl the scroll as it was written in a text I didn't recognize as it didn't make any sense, it wasn't draconic, as both my foster father and I would have been able to read it. It wasn't orcish, elven, dwarven, or any of the other languages I learned in effort to prove my maturity to the seal. Spreading the scroll over the paper we all collectively sighed as we all tried to figure it out.

"Well Thanks Mom and Dad... it is a big bust, but I'm glad you were there for me..." I stated as my shaky hands began to calm down as Bel pulled me into her arms and then in an instant I felt a sharp pain in my arm, as Bel poked me with a small dagger and then splattered my blood onto the scroll.

"What the hell-"
Before words left my lips the scroll began to glow and my mother looked as confused about the knife in her hand and what she had done. The room filled with a white light until I couldn't see anything anymore and there was just me standing in a white void.

".... I see.... How well you have grown..." an ominous voice echoed out. As I opened my lips to speak.

'Not enough time.... young one... listen to my words... feel my magic..." I blindly did as it told me, as a warmth began to fill my very being. It was like the first time you feel the caffeine high, my heart raced, and my body began to shake.

"... Both your blood parents... loved you intensely... that it broke their hearts to give you up... it will warm their spirits to see how fine of a dragon you are to become... They have passed on... but the one's they left you with, are true friends of your parents... Bel's strong heart, and Korzair's Wisdom made suitable fosters for being fit to bear our name.. Go... you have done well young one... make our family proud..."

With a sudden jolt, I found myself with a new understanding of the world, Bel already has wrapped my arm in enough gauze to make a mummy envious, and Korzair's fingers on my neck making sure I had a pulse.

"I'm fine... don't worry..." I slowly peel myself from the floor as both parents were helping me up, "Did you guys see anything?" They both look at me puzzled and then I move towards the backdoor of the house.

"I have my answers... I'm going to break the seal now..." I opened the door and began to move to the middle of the yard as I knew how big my other self was going to be. My parents stared at me as Bel held onto my father as I began to channel the new power within me. A seal appeared beneath my feet and with one push it shattered and turned into dust which blew away by the magic I was channeling. It was painless but I felt odd, like being stretched, and flexed against my own will. My spell was pushing me onto all fours, my fingers felt wider, my finger nails thicker, my body weight I felt bloated at first, as the mass I was gaining was foreign.

My clothes disappeared into my form, as if tucked away for future keeping, as I felt new appendages form, large majestic wings, a long tail, and horns adorned my reforming skull. Scales replaced my pinkish flesh, as the color was unknown to me, as I could only feel, not see, my eyes almost sealed shut during the process, which in retrospect may have been for the best. Within a few minutes I slumped onto the grass as I could feel the fence behind me against my new tail, and my face not touching the deck so at least I didn't hit the house. I slowly got up, as I ached over the new me, almost like a newborn deer struggling to it's feet.

With a few blinks I was able to see both my foster parents staring in awe at me as Bel ran inside to grab something and returned with a large mirror and with a bit of focus I started to see my true form. White and Gold scales adorned my form, along with my eyes taking on a golden color but still with a black pupils, I did look a bit gaudy, but this is who I was meant to be. I did slowly circle around to get a good look at everything and then reverted back to my human self and ran to my foster parents and hugged them.

I sobbed into their arms uncontrollably as my parents were their best friends, both my biological parents had wanted a child so badly, to have it be their downfall. Biological Father died in combat, fleeing his homeland to ensure that my mother was able to make it here, she then died leaving me here, to go and find him. Mated for life, not wanting to live without the other and only one egg out of their clutch. It was a rather somber night as we all just sat in silence all saddened by the past and I both terrified and excited about my future.

Being the true heir of my father's homeland and being a descendant of the most revered dragon, being a Holy Dragon I have some mighty shoes to fill and my father's issues to resolve.

Night was falling, and with it the temperature, bringing a chill I shouldn’t have been able to feel. I knew I should get up, leave behind this secluded corner and uncomfortable stone bench and go inside, into the light and the warmth where my friends would be waiting for me, but I just couldn’t bring myself to stand.

They would all be excited, filled with nervous anticipation, ready to see my true form and certain the elders had given me the key to find it. It would never occur to any of them that I wasn’t a dragon like them, bound to human form in infancy until reaching a level of skill and power and self awareness sufficient to cast Revert to True Form. I had dragon magic, after all. So what else could I be?

A huff of bitter laughter fell away from me. Seconds later, there was Pitch, buzzing low to the ground in his true dragon form. I always thought it was funny that he was pure white and tiny as a dragon when his name was Pitch and his human form was so massive, but I was having trouble finding anything humorous at the moment.

“There you are, Kauri! We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“You have? Why?” I asked, internally admonishing myself for not casting a hiding.

“You missed dinner and no one heard from you after your meeting with the elders. We were worried. Some of us thought you might have gotten lost in the instincts of dragon shape and needed help remembering who you are no matter what shape you are, so we all came looking. I was put in charge of this section of the grounds in case you were little like me and couldn’t fly far, and Frost and Soot took some of the better flyers and they’re doing a wide loop in case you ended up big and went further than you meant to. But here you are, all human shaped and safe.” Pitch touched down, changing to his human form between one breath and the next. “Were you waiting for us to change shapes?”

If I close my eyes and really concentrate how it feels to be a dragon and take a flight, I can almost feel the wind under my wings. But like every dragon, I am forced by a magical seal on my chest to the form of a human until I take a test that proves I am capable of handling the true form of a dragon. Dont get my wrong, there is nothing wrong being a human, the other dragons that already broke the seal stay in human form most of the time. But since I my best friend took me on my first flight, I want to experience flying myself, with my own wings, not just on the back of my friend.

I managed to pass every other test and exam without problems and with flying colors, but when I say the words that are supposed to break the seal, nothing happens. It is only one year until graduation, and I am the only one among my friends who still needs to unlock the dragon form. By now, it feels almost as if my wings are cramped under my skin, as is my tail is just waiting to poke out, my hands feel like claws and when I breathe out I almost expect to spew fire. Maybe it is my inner dragon waiting to finally be free, or it is just my imagination. Usually, even before a dragons magic is strong enough to break the seal, it shows cracks and rust, and dragons show each other how weak their seal already is, waiting in anticipation for the glorious day they can break it. But my seal still looks brand new, and not for lack of trying. Day after day, I say the spell should free my dragon form, whisper it, shout it, scream it, but every time, except some small sparks, nothing happens.

One day, I have a different idea. Instead of concentration on my seal, I directly concentrate on my dragon form. What should be impossible worked! For a brief moment, one of my hands became a dragon claw. The news spread fast, nobody should be able to transform with the seal intact, not even partially for a few seconds.

I am glad that at least I will be able to attend the graduation ceremony in 3 month on the top of mount thunder. I wont be able to fly there myself because I can only get one small wing at a time, and only for a few minutes, the seal, still new and shiny, prevented more. But one of my friends could surely give me a ride, and we tried already that I am able to breathe the thin air at these heights.

After the graduation ceremony, I am approached by a member of the great dragon council:

"Unlike the normal seals that are meant to be broken by novice magic, your seal is created by ancient dragon magic and can only be broken by one. The dragon council does not use this kind of magic until absolutely necessary. We are very sorry that we denied you your dragon form for so long, and still have to continue to do so. But your dragon form is far to powerful to be unlocked all at once. It would consume you, preventing you from ever using your human form. In fact, we voted if we should even allow you to use your dragon form at all, or if we should have locked it away forever, raising you as a human child, never telling you that you are a dragon. 7 members of the council voted to keep you human and never let you know about your heritage, 8 voted for the seal you carry now, one of them is talking to you right now. "

We continued talking for a long time, and now I know that some day, I will be able to become a full dragon. Every day I train, every day I try to glide down the stairs, and on some days, I even manage to land without falling flat on my face. I can now spew fire, at least a little flame to light a candle. I can have my scales for hours, my tail for half an hour and my wings for a few minutes, but they are still too small and weak to fly. I patiently wait for the day I can become a complete dragon, but until then, I enjoy my time as a human.

I just sat there in my hospital gown, trying to process what the shaman had just told me. My parents, sitting in a pair of seats next to my hospital bed, were in their human forms. They sat their patiently, holding each other's hands, allowing me time to process what the shaman had just told me.

​

The shaman finished typing something on his wall mounted computer and said, "well, I need to make some phone calls, that'll give you time to change and make arrangements. If you have any questions or anything at all, don't hesitate to ask anyone at the nurse's station." With that he walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him. I was still in shock, just sitting there, nothing like this had happened in centuries.

​

"Alex," my mom said after several minutes of silence, "sweetie, are you ok?" I nodded my head slowly, "I uh, I just can't believe it, it's uh..." I trailed off into silence again, still trying to wrap my head around it, it was a lot to take in. "Everything's not going to happen all at once," my dad said softly, "you're always going to be our son, I'm sure there will be a transition period and training and what not." I nodded my head, his words were helpful, I was a lot like him so his rationalizing of the situation started to bring me back to reality.

​

"I just can't believe it," I said, "I'm relieved, and it explains why I've never been able to make the transformation, but it's been what? Three hundred years since there was a new elder dragon?" My parents both nodded their heads in agreement, and my dad said, "I know, it's completely unprecedented, but you can do it, you'll be great." My parents stood up in unison and embraced me, and they held me for several minutes before separating, tears in mom's eyes.

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