The heat radiating from Vasili's body emanated from his bones, specifically the bone marrow. He could sense something primal release a fraction of its power, making itself known for the first time. He knew it was his Essence, even if he wasn't sure what that meant.
White smoke drifted off the chair Vasili was sitting on, so Elias touched him, wondering how hot he was, "Ah!" he cried out, hearing a sizzling as his flesh was seared.
Sebastian acted quickly, pulling his charge back and away from danger, and then he called the Family Physician for help.
The phone rang a few times before a voice answered, "This is Doctor Mathews. How can I help you, Sebastian?"
The servant calmly relayed, "I have a young man experiencing metamorphosis. We need your help."
There was a silence on the line as the Doctor grabbed his equipment, then he asked, "Where am I heading?" Sebastian explained, "We are in the Master's living room, please, make haste!"
Elias stood back and watched his Blood Brother's skin ripple-undergoing changes at a molecular level. Minutes passed as they waited until they finally heard the Doctor approach with a tome and a large medical bag. He quickly apologized for his delay, "Sorry, there were a lot of people on the elevators. Now, let's see what we have here," he said as he noted the claw mark torn into the boy's shirt.
He touched it while wearing heat-resistant gloves, noting that there was no longer a laceration present. There was no erythema, but due to the mild inflammation of the entire body, ruling out infection wasn't possible.
Quickly opening the Tome and going to his preferred metamorphosis glossary, he found the passages. Recalling his schooling, he searched his bag, locating the kits his teacher made in mere moments. Popping the plastic lid off, he grabbed the three colored coins and placed them on the patient's leg.
This process narrowed the search down drastically, even if it was time-consuming. But it also provided time to gather pertinent information about the patient, so he asked, "Do you know anything about his family?"
Sebastian turned to the Young Master as he answered, "I know nothing. Young Master, do you know anything that might help?"
Elias shook his head before remembering, "Actually, yeah, I tasted his blood. I'm only bringing it up because of how odd it was." He hedged as if the information wasn't vital. Continuing, "I could smell him from blocks away, odd, but not unusual for a metamorphosis. When I tasted his blood, it reminded me of that sexy smoke and char of barbeque. It was delicious, but it had a hell of a kick. Felt like Everclear going down."
Doctor Mathews nodded in understanding. "He has pure blood. That's why it was so strong. Your Father's blood feels the same to me."
Elias remembered hearing the servants talk about their Bloodings. How wonderful they felt during them.
As they were discussing, they nearly missed the first coin melting. Doctor Mathews grabbed his tongs and pulled the coin off before it fully liquified, as it was tradition to keep the baubles.
Then, as if in procession, the second and third coins melted, marking the maximum survivable heat by heat-resistant species. The patient's body was mythical, a rare virtue. He could wade through lava one day and complain only about the horrendous smell.
The Doctor removed the coins, placing them away for safekeeping. Then he turned back to his bag and grabbed a Phoenix feather. Setting it lightly on the boy's forehead, he waited for it to ignite.
The group stood, waiting, the Doctor explaining, "That is a Phoenix feather. They can harmonize with any Phoenix Essence, not just the original grower's. A precious artifact, one gifted to me by my teacher."
They watched the feather as it began glowing, sympathetic resonance at work. It grew brighter and brighter, nearly whiting out the room. But it never caught flame.
Doctor Mathews frowned and muttered, "Well. He isn't a Phoenix." Proceeding to remove the feather and place it into a case.
The Doctor had placed his money on the child being a Phoenix, as it was statistically the most likely.
'What is the likelihood of a young man undergoing metamorphosis with no living family and possessing an immunity to heat?' He shook his head, accepting that everyone was fallible.
Then he refocused, thinking, 'Even though he hasn't shed scales, being a Dragon explains the immunity and lack of guidance.'
He proceeded with his plan and grabbed a bottle of Dragon scales. Pulling one out, he secured it to a scalpel designed to receive non-standardized blades. Then, he lightly pressed as he dragged the scale across his patient's skin.
There was no reaction, but then the line of broken skin shone from underneath.
Doctor Mathews gawked as the shining golden scales were uncovered, entirely undamaged by the lesser scale.
He turned to Sebastian and the Prince, "Bingo, he is a Dragon. A Gold Dragon."
Sebastian looked shocked. That particular flight of Dragons was known for rearing its young. A War had even been started over a clutch of eggs.
As they began to celebrate, Vasili started waking up. Poking at his itching stomach, he noticed he had peeling skin. In a groggy stupor, he started scratching and peeling the dead skin off.
Opening his eyes when he felt a wet heat, he noticed a Doctor standing over him and asking him if he was okay. He nodded absentmindedly and checked his hand. What he saw was a blooded set of talons with pieces of dried human skin hanging off of them.
He noticed the Doctor frowning, then felt surprised when his hand was grabbed at superhuman speeds. The motion nearly gave him whiplash because he could keep up with it. It was odd, having your brain go from removing filler images, cutting to where his eyes stopped, to being able to track motion at insane speeds, almost like a bird of prey.
Blinking, he felt his eyes shift even more.
He felt his vision zoom as he read a painter's signature from dozens of feet away.
Doctor Mathews watched the patient's first partial Shift, gasping when he realized what he was dealing with, "OH! This young man isn't a Dragon. He's a Chimera!"