One morning I was finally able to see who dragged the meals inside, it was a huge Dragon who looked exactly like me except it was four times my size. The only part that fits in the smaller room was its large arms. The dragon was surprised that I was standing near the entrance while in its arm a large turtle-like monster was struggling to free itself.

It placed it down in front of me and crushed it with one large smash to its shell from her claws. I was a bit scared but it pushed it forth to me like saying, “quickly eat this”. It was staring at me for a while checking every part of me with an intelligent like gaze, I was a bit petrified but since I was being fed she could be non-other than my parent and of course I could not tell its gender. Finally I there was a voice in my head in a language that I never heard before but strangely I could understand the words as if they were spoken to in my native tongue.

“So you have finally broken from my sleeping spell… huh, and this smell… that charred rock inside, there seem to be traces of intense fire used, I can only praise you well done.”

I was still a bit weary and tried to talk back within my mind.

“Yo..u are the on..e that gives me food right, and that sleeping spell? Is it that noise from a while ago?”

I wasn’t able to fully keep my calm not only its large size but a powerful force could be felt around it.

“Relax child there’s no need to worry, you are my descendant and I need you alive. Now come out from that small cave which I made for you and enter my domain.”

The force surrounding her was removed and she backed away from the entrance and led me to the largest area I seen since coming here. There was like in my area, a large lake in the middle, a hole in the ceiling leading to the morning sky and even some lava in a corner of this large room as if it was inside a volcano. It was quite a clean area and the place she finally stopped to lay down was in front of the lava which radiated light towards the wall surrounding it.

“Sit my child there is much to discuss now, it seems you are not a normal dragon since I would have kept you in that hole until you could be reasoned with. You see young dragons tend to find pleasure in destruction which is fine as they are apex predators in this world. But once they gain the ability to form thoughts they will find no meaning in their violent actions most of the time. But if the young dragon goes to the land of another ancient dragon like I or causes too many problems for intelligent races like humans, he, of course, would get eliminated.”

Without much of an expression, the dragon stared at me while saying that inside my mind. But I was with the intent of listening to every word carefully to know finally what I am doing here. Being a bit scared still to respond, it was waiting for me to calm down and ask another question.

“So that’s to say that I was placed there because normally a dragon who is just born would terrorize his surroundings. Since we can talk normally may I ask why I was placed in this body?”

The large dragon's eyes scrunched up a bit while it was in thought it seemed to not get what I was trying to say.

“Would you please continue to expand on that, it’s normal for a young dragon to have no sense of self until it grows enough to control its impulses which may take years.”

It seems it didn’t understand that I was a human in the first place and was caught off guard that I possessed intelligence already.

“I am not from this world is what I meant, I was originally a human in my previous life but I seemed to have died and reincarnated into the dragon I am now. At first, I did not understand that I was another living being other than a human but as I grew I became to be aware that I was a dragon. Also in my previous life, magic and dragons were but things of fantasy so I am sure this is not my world.”

I kept quiet for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and looked up to the sky.

“Now I understand, you who was a human came to be reborn as a dragon something that can only be done from those above us and not of this world. The humans of this land call them holy beings, for I who lived thousands of years I have seldom encountered stories of miracles or gifts they give humans. I will say only this, you can continue on as a dragon or chose the path as a human and be killed by me here.”

Well with this body I doubt I can return to being a normal human I don’t even see how a monster like me will be able to roam their lands. I had to respond to its question and live the only path I can take at the moment.

“I don’t mind living as a dragon but why must I choose between both?”

“I see, let's continue then... I am Argoris, an ancient dragon and one of six of these dragons living in this world. We six vary by the type of spirits that our progenitor favored and with time became known as an ancient dragon. The world is ruled by these spirits which magic uses to produce its effects. I who was created with the blood of the progenitor and who was also favored by the fire spirits can continue to live for more time but instead decided to create my replacement which is you.”

It stopped its speech waiting for me to understand before proceeding.

“I understood most of what was said but as my role as the new ancient dragon of fire what is it I have to do exactly?”

“We hold the responsibility to maintain the spirits of our type in order, if one type grows too large in power we must act to keep the balance. You see the spirits tend to change or join the one that is most common in that area so if I who favors fire extend my domain then the spirit around here will become fire, which is the most destructive of spirits bringing death to the surroundings.”

I stayed quiet trying to gather my thoughts together then gave my next question.

“So the other five dragons will they cause problems and their types what are they.”

“Worry not child most of the time we just stay in our area but there have been cases where we have to clash with a young dragon who believes it has enough power to fight one of the others, of course with age you get the wisdom to know that balance is needed. As for the types well there is us the flame dragons who can fly while having four limbs to walk as well. I had us be a bit thinner than the others to fly in and out of volcanos.”

“The water dragon whose domain is the sea which you will rarely encounter is our greatest foe within the dragons. It’s usually taking the form of a serpent being with fins to move faster in the water. I believe the one who’s active now is Levine, unless it too has chosen to make its replacement. The earth dragon Grotea who lives in the labyrinths it makes underground, it seldom comes out to venture above ground so I have not seen that dragon for a while. Vernus the dragon of gale who created land above the ground reachable only those with wings and the only one who I have spoken to often. Zeras is the holy dragon or so humans and many tongues give it that name but in reality it’s the dragon of life and in its case it chose to pair up with the ones he created from trees, the elves and gave his dragons core for them to use, his located in the hidden forest of the south. The last one is Drethir who lives in the icy mountains and barren wastelands to the north which is also land of those called the Demon Race, he is of a dark element.”

As soon as it finished saying that, the large dragon turned its head towards the entrance of the cave I came out of and doing the same I saw the girl coming out weary of the larger dragon with its shield in front.

“Oh, you kept her alive it seems.”

It then stayed quiet while staring at the girl, if I had to guess I wondered if it was communicating with her the same as it did with me. The girl came closer but since we were near the lava she stayed far enough that the heat did not affect her.

She looked around focused at a spot where armors and swords remained and made a sorrow face, the girl gave the dragon an angry stare but then made a yielding attitude and finally took a glance towards the entrance of the cave.

Nodding toward the dragon, she picked up a few items from the remains. The dragon grunted slightly, summoning a wyvern through a hole in the ceiling. It was a dragon about my size but with no arms only wings with three claws coming out of them. I stared at the winged dragon that let the girl get on its back and flew back up, the girl took one final glance at the large dragon then turned to me and gave a nod as if saying, “everything’s fine now.”

I was speechless throughout the whole event, even though I could not talk everything happened so fast and I lost the only human I knew in this world. I kind of got depressed since a few weeks of being together probably meant nothing to her.

What can I say I have to live as a dragon who will probably be stuck in this place until I grow enough to choose my own path. I who was still staring at the hole in the ceiling wanted to go back in the cave and rethink all this through, was there really a reason to live in this world? It kept repeating through my mind. Probably seeing my thoughts the dragon decided to just lay down and wait before speaking again.

It was sad but I had to move on there were a few questions I still had, such as what it meant when it said I would replace it. Seeing my intentions to ask more the dragon turn to me and waited.

“You made me to replace you but what’s the true meaning of those words?”

“Ancient dragons have a core which functions as a secondary heart one fueled with the spirits around us. With the core, we are exempted from eating and it’s the reason that we can live eternally. Well, to replace me I will give you this core thus forfeiting my body, although I instill myself in the core. The me, as an individual will fade from this world but you will hear me as something like an instinct, a feeling of sort.”

So it will die and with the core, I will be able to live a long life, I was still thinking through this carefully since those with long lives have their own share of troubles. I wonder if I could still back out and just live as a normal dragon. I don’t know the dangers this world has but I could probably manage since I could beat most of the monsters I was made to fight. Maybe it could hear my worries I could not tell if it could read my mind whenever it wanted but it spoke again.

“Worry not child, there seems to be something bigger planned out by those above. It was not my intention to have that human child with you nor did I ever thought that you would be human in a previous life. Live as a dragon for now and you might find a way to fix your situation at least.”

Was it trying to cheer me up or make me go through with the substitution, I gave a sigh and chose to go along with it. There will be a long life ahead so I could find a way to interact with humans, maybe even learn to speak like the large dragon who can talk to others inside their minds.

“Fine let me be your replacement.”