Clear Skies

Chapter 13: Roar From Within

Quick breaths echoed through eternity. Black stretched on. I spun around the plane of darkness. Nothing. Despite the absence of light, I could see the details of the trenches in my palms and my Arcadia Movement robes.

Sayer lured me in so easily. He manipulated my memory for my knowledge of the Spirit World. What had he said? "This subject is as dangerous, clever, and defiant as cattle."

The correctness of the statement stabbed me. I managed to do all the perfectly wrong things to end up an Arcadia slave. Despite my confusion on where or who I was, I followed his every order.

Following orders got me thrown in the Facility, brainwashed by a madman, and tortured for hours on end. If I ever made it out of here, I swore I'd forge my own orders and never follow whoever said they're in a position above me.

Wherever "here" was. My arms crossed over my eyes. I'd been here, once, when I met Luna. She needed help, right? She and the Spirit World. I'd never allow Sayer to touch their realm.

Light spilled through the crack between my arms. I dropped them and observed the scarlet luminescence cast from a source behind me. A thud vibrated the atmosphere. My cackles rose. A warm breath from something very, very large disturbed the hair atop the crown of my head.

My heart raced. I closed my eyes for a moment, working up courage, and spun around to face whatever I'd been trapped with.

Awe numbed me.

A massive dragon towered over me. His claws, each as large as me, held him up like a panther ready to pounce. Gold, black, and ruby meandered across his hide like the crawl of molten lava. His wings tucked against his back. His lengthy tail twitched back and forth like a swimming snake, the symbol at the tip resembling a rattle. Bright, yellow eyes shone in their sockets like supernovas.

The name struck me again: the Crimson Dragon. I'd seen him soar above the Fortune Cup stadium when Yusei and Jack dueled for the title. I felt as though being so close to the Dragon should burn me to a crisp.

But I kept looking into his eyes, and he kept looking into mine.

His paw stirred. The thuds of his steps caused miniature earthquakes, and I struggled to keep a steady stance. The Dragon circled me. I remained still, but my focus followed him. Rather than a piece of meat considered by a predator, I felt like an antique appraised by a vendor.

He stopped. His head dipped so his eye level equaled mine.

Cataclysms leave their scars upon our planet, and the Earth continues thriving all the same. I find your blazing will similarly admirable, young dragon.

My breath caught. The way he lowered himself to look me in the eyes seemed like the Crimson Dragon was speaking to me. The deep voice, the words reverberating throughout my mind like my own thoughts, the reason I thought I was going insane - was the Dragon the cause?

Impossible. This must have been another dream.

Because of your belief, the voice said, you are ready for the next step. Blaze on, young dragon.

The Crimson Dragon hunched and pounced into the air. Scarlet brightened and swallowed my vision. The next time I opened my eyes, I lay flat on my back.

The sky above was an undisturbed azure. Quaint houses clustered around me. Though there were obvious signs of life, the area was dead silent. Far to the east, gold sparkled in the sky. In the west, a stone monolith dwarfed all else.