Inferno Rising (IR #1)

7 | Supreme Goddess

I’ve been asleep for hours. Earlier in the morning, Ziggy instructed me to get some rest after I collapsed in the kitchen, and I did just that without bothering to set an alarm. I fell asleep almost instantly after she left, and ever since then, I’ve been completely out of it. For some reason, I was dreaming about encountering a dragon and bonding with it. Specifically a fire dragon. At first, I thought it was going to be a nightmare. It felt real, and I’ve never actually seen a dragon before, let alone come face to face with one, so it was kind of terrifying. But I simply held my hand out and felt a… spark, a connection, like me and the dragon were meant to be bonded with each other. Perhaps it was Aszreal’s dragon, Ovarth, in my dream. I mean, it was a fire dragon and it did seem kind of aggressive, but it warmed up to me within seconds, and it… talked to me. Maybe I’m crazy. Can dragons talk? It had the voice of a male, and it made me flinch. I don’t remember exactly what it said, but it was something similar to: “Bren, your future awaits.” Whatever that means.

Once my dream finally ended with flying on the back of said dragon, I woke up at six in the afternoon. My bedroom lights were turned off and the fan was on low so I wasn’t too cold but I wasn’t boiling hot either. Someone refilled the glass of water on my nightstand, whether it was Aszreal, Ziggy, or one of my parents. I was covered by two blankets, one soft and one silk. I groaned and rolled over onto my right side, rubbing my eyes. I opened them and blinked a few times to clear my vision and rolled right back over, kicked my legs over the side and hopped over the bed, feeling dizzy the moment my feet hit the floor. I closed my eyes to prevent myself from passing out and yawned, then opened them again and made my way into the kitchen where my mom, dad, and Aszreal were sitting in the living room, having a friendly conversation with each other.

I strolled over to the sofa and sat right in between both of my parents. Aszreal sat in her chair to the left, her legs kicked up on the coffee table and crossed at the ankles, her hands resting in her lap. She smiled at me, and my dad tossed his arm over my shoulder. My mom smiled as well and placed her hand on my knee, squeezing gently. They looked like they were planning something, and it worried me, because what could they possibly be planning? Clearly it wasn’t anything bad, since they were smiling. But I don’t know what could be so amazing to have the ability to cause both of my parents to blush, their cheeks rosy pink.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I questioned, confused and utterly concerned. I hate secrets. I mean, this isn’t really a secret, but it’s awkward.

“We were hoping to have dinner together again,” my mom beamed. “Aszreal made fried chicken just for you… If you’re up for it.”

I smiled. So that was the secret? “I’d love to have dinner. Just… don’t make it weird next time.” They were silent for a second. “Do you have something else to tell me?”

“We do, but we’ll tell you during dinner,” Aszreal said joyfully. “Wash your hands first, and then head back out here to join us, because we have some good news for you.”

Good news? I wondered while I stood up from the sofa and made my way to the bathroom to wash my hands. It’s an important rule of Aszreal’s house. Always wash your hands after you’re outside, after you use the bathroom, and before you eat. She’s picky about germs, and I don’t blame her. Although I don’t always pay attention to how clean my hands are, I still feel like it’s crucial to maintain good hygiene.

I turned on the sink, rinsed my hands, and squirted mint soap into my palm. Aszreal loves all things minty, so quite a few things around her house smell like that, including the soap in her bathrooms. I scrubbed my hands together for a whole thirty seconds to make sure that absolutely no dirt or grime was visible, then rinsed them again and shut off the water. I wiped my hands dry on the towel hung up on the wall, then left the bathroom and sat at the kitchen counter along with my parents and, of course, Aszreal. There was already a full plate in front of my seat at the counter. The one directly in the middle. My mom sits to my right, and my dad sits to my left. Aszreal sits on the other side of my mom.