Hiro sat up, his heart still racing, the memory of the dragon's fiery assault fresh in his mind. With the residual fear and adrenaline coursing through his veins, he became acutely aware of the thin layer of sweat that now coated his skin. Beads of perspiration glistened on his forehead, his hands clammy and cold to the touch, his clothes damp and clinging to his body.
He shivered, despite the warmth of the morning sun, his heart still pounding as he tried to make sense of the vision he had in his sleep. Hiro, his breath quickening, pushed himself from the floor with a sudden burst of energy. His hand planted firmly on the cold, hard surface, he rose to his feet with a swift movement. The lingering disorientation of the dream still clung to him, his heart still thundering in his chest, but he knew he had to act quickly.
With a few long strides, he crossed the distance to Cryn's door, the urgency of his mission burning within him like a hot coal. Without hesitation, Hiro turned the knob and swung Cryn's door open, the hinges creaking in protest. He steppes into the room with a sense of urgency, his body taut and poised as if ready to spring into action at any moment.
Upon entering the room, his heart still pounding in his chest, he was met with a sight that momentarily took him by surprise. Cryn, his book open on his table, his head lolled to one side, a thin line of drool trickling from the corner of his mouth. The dragon shifter, it seemed, had fallen asleep while reading, his slumber undisturbed by the commotion that had just occurred through his door.
Hiro, still reeling from his dream, shouted out to Cryn with a sense of urgency that belied his respectful demeanor. '' Cryn! Cryn! Cryn!'' he cried out, his voice echoing through the room with the force of his alarm. Cryn, his eyes still clouded with sleep, jolted awake at the sound of Hiro's frantic voice, his gaze dazing around the room as he tried to locate the source of the disturbance.
'' Yes, yes, brother,'' he began, but as his gaze fell upon Hiro's anxious form, his demeanor abruptly shifted, his eyes narrowing in a dangerous glint of rebuke. He fixed Hiro with a stern, uncompromising gaze, his expression brooking no argument. '' Do not forget that you are but a host for my brother. Do not think to keep addressing me by my given name. You will call me General.''
He gestured to the seat in front of him, his voice authoritative and commanding. '' Now, sit,'' he continued, wiping away the remnants of sleep from his face.'' Did you see him again in your vision?'' His voice was clipped and precise, his interest piqued by the fear in Hiro's voice. Cryn's eyes, their red depths alight with a gleam of inquiry, continued to study Hiro's form, his gaze assessing every bead of sweat that clung to Hiro's skin.
'' Why are you sweating so profusely?'' he asked once more, his voice a cold whisper that seemed through to echo through the silence. He waited, his patience stretched thin, his demeanor implacable and demanding. Hiro, his body trembling with the fear that gripped him, sank into the seat in front of Cryn, the ancient dragon's presence overwhelming in the confined space.
'' Your brother,'' he whispered, the name a curse on his tongue. ''He said..... he said that I was too weak, that he would get rid of my soul and take over my body.'' His voice caught in his throat, the weight of his nightmare seeming to press down on him, heavy suffocating.
Suddenly, Cryn's laughter, cold and cruel, filled the room, his amusement at Hiro's predicament bitter and biting. '' Oh, typical of my brother,'' he sneered, '' Trying to manipulate you with his petty threats and promises. He should know better by now.''
The mirth in his eyes faded, replaced by a calculating gleam as he regarded Hiro with a sharp assessing gaze. '' So, did you manage to convince him to merge with your body?'' Cryn asked, his voice deceptively casual. Hiro defeated, could only shake his head in shame. '' I couldn't,'' he whispered, his words barely audible in the tense silence that hung in the air.
Cryn's face, until now a mask of dispassionate calculation, contorted into a grim face of frustration, his hands raising to cover his face in a gesture of disappointment. '' This is no time for fear, Hiro,'' he hissed, his words laced with urgency. '' The fate of your world lies in your hands, and those of my brother.'' '' If you humans perish from this war, '' Cryn continued, his voice hard and commanding, '' We dragons will return to the heavenly realm although big brother might become a slave we still get to live, while you will be forgotten, lost to the mists of time. You cannot let this happen. You must find a way to merge with my brother's essence, to join your powers and save your people from destruction.''
His words were a call to arms, a summon to action that demanded Hiro's attention and resolve. Cryn leaned forward, his eyes glittering with fierce intensity. '' When you meet him you dream,'' his voice low and fervent,'' you must challenge him. Demand that both of you share his power and your body so that he can fulfill his destiny and duty as protector and king of humanity and all mystical creatures.''
His words were a challenge, a dare that called upon Hiro's strength and resolve. '' You must face him. show him that you are not weak and afraid. prove to him that you are a worthy host and that you are worthy of his powers. Only then will you have a chance to save your people.'' Cryn leaned back in his seat, his expression unreadable as he regarded Hiro with a piercing gaze.
'' Go now ,'' he commanded. '' join the others in the training arena. You must be prepared for whatever may come. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance, and you cannot afford to fail.'' His words were both a warning and a summons, a reminder that loomed over them, and the desperate need for Hiro and his brother to become one.
Hiro stood, his resolve strengthened by Cryn's words, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. As he turned to leave, Cryn's voice rang out, the ancient dragon's eyes fixed upon Hiro. '' Remember,'' he said, his voice low and urgent,'' address my brother by his name. Zephyr. He loves it, it reminds him of our father, and it may give you an advantage.''
His words hung in the air like a promise, a final piece of advice before Hiro departed, the weight of his task heavy upon his shoulders.