Two days had passed since Kaelith had begun searching for Torrack, but he was nowhere to be found. She scoured every corner of town, from the bustling markets to the shadowed alleys, asking anyone who might have seen him. She had heard whispers that he had left town for reasons unknown, and her heart grew heavier with each lead that faded into nothingness. Torrack was like a ghost now, present only in her thoughts and memories, as if he had vanished from this world entirely.
Unbeknownst to Kaelith, Torrack was in another world entirely—one woven of dreams, memories, and a strange, boundless power. For three days, he lay in a deep, unshakable sleep, his body unmoving but his mind alive in ways he could hardly comprehend. To the outside world, only a few days had passed, but inside Torrack's mind, centuries unfolded. His consciousness drifted through realms of dragons' memories, images, and fragments of lives that were not his own, knowledge and power interweaving with his very soul.
Within his mind, he was a warrior, a leader, a beast of power and wisdom, and yet, an ancient loneliness resided at the core of it all. Torrack grappled with the visions, trying to piece together a reality that felt both real and unreal. Flames, mountains, ancient words, the primal roar of beasts—all coursed through him, consuming him until he could no longer separate himself from the memories of those long-gone dragons.
When he finally stirred from the depths of his trance, Torrack's eyes fluttered open to a dimly lit room, the scent of herbs lingering in the air. His entire body felt heavy, as if every muscle was made of stone. A small woman was gently dabbing his forehead with a cool cloth, and her presence was calm and focused. The moment she saw his eyes open, however, her calm composure broke, and she gasped, nearly dropping the cloth. She stumbled back, startled, and rushed from the room without a word, her hurried footsteps echoing down the hallway.
A few moments later, a second woman appeared in his line of vision. This one was older, with lines of wisdom and experience etched into her face. Her small frame seemed even more delicate in the dim light, but her gaze was sharp and watchful. She leaned over him, scrutinizing his face with a careful gaze.
"Can you hear me?" she asked, her voice low and soothing. "What is your name? Do you understand my words?"
Torrack's thoughts spun, struggling to grasp the situation. His voice, thick and uncooperative, would not respond, so he nodded, the slight motion causing a dull ache to radiate through his body. The woman watched him, studying his reaction, and he could see a flicker of concern in her eyes. His memories felt scrambled, disjointed. He could barely recall how he had ended up here. Just a moment ago, he had been locked in a struggle, facing creatures that towered over even dragons in their might. Yet now, he was…here.
The older woman straightened, her face softening with a kind of patient resolve. She moved quietly about the room, muttering instructions to someone outside. He let his gaze fall down to his hands, which were trembling ever so slightly, and his breath hitched. His hands—they were human. They lacked the familiar, strong scales, the sharp claws he knew. His heart raced, panic rising in his chest. Why did he feel so weak? Why was he so…small?
Confused, he let his eyelids droop, unable to fight the wave of exhaustion crashing over him. Darkness claimed him again, a dim cocoon of hazy thoughts and half-formed memories that blended with the reality he barely understood.
When he next opened his eyes, soft voices filtered through the fog of his mind. Two young women were in the room, carefully sponging his arms and legs with water. He felt the cool cloth on his skin, but his body felt strangely numb, distant, as if he were an observer rather than a participant in this reality.
As he strained to speak, a faint sound escaped his parched throat, barely a whisper. "Where…am I?" he rasped. "Who…are you?"
The young women exchanged glances, their faces a mixture of curiosity and concern. One of them stepped closer, her voice soft as she replied, "You are in a small town called Aia."
The name was unfamiliar to him, offering no answers or comfort. It felt as though he had been transported to a different world entirely. Nothing in this place seemed to align with what he remembered. He forced himself to think, to dig through the layers of memories that the dragon had embedded in him, trying to find a way to orient himself.
"How…did I get here?" he managed, though his voice barely carried.
The girls exchanged looks, uncertain how much they should say. One of them, bolder than the other, replied, "You were found just outside the village, collapsed and barely alive. The elder healer took you in to help you recover."
The healer. Torrack tried to recall, tried to understand how he could have ended up here, in such a vulnerable state, among humans. He pushed himself to remember, to cling to something concrete, but all that came to him were fractured images of flames, towering beasts, the echo of ancient, incomprehensible words, and the taste of raw, unyielding power.
Another surge of confusion and dread washed over him. Everything felt wrong, displaced. He was human in form, yet his mind was filled with the memories of something beyond humanity—something ancient and primal. Even his body felt alien, his own flesh feeling unsteady and untrustworthy.
As he lay there, struggling to make sense of it all, he noticed the second woman shift closer to him, her expression soft and comforting. She studied his face, her eyes full of understanding, as if she had seen men in his state before.
Torrack blinked, his mind struggling to piece together the reality he now faced. Every woman he had seen in this village, from the elder healer to the young attendants, had an odd, mesmerizing feature: long, graceful kitten tails that swayed with each movement. It was a detail his dazed mind had initially glossed over, but now, with a clearer head, the sight of these unusual tails felt impossible to ignore.
He stared as the healer stood beside him, her tail shifting gently behind her as she carefully adjusted a bandage on his arm. It flicked back and forth with each motion, reflecting her concentration. In his weakened state, he tried not to let his confusion show, but his gaze betrayed him. The healer noticed and gave a soft smile, seemingly amused by his curiosity.
"Our tails intrigue you, I see," she said, her voice carrying a hint of warmth. "We are a folk of the forest, tied to its magic in ways that make us a little different from those outside. Perhaps this is not so common where you come from?"
Torrack nodded slowly.
"Rest," she said gently. "Your body is still healing. Whatever journey brought you here has left you weak, but we will help you."
Torrack wanted to resist, to demand answers, to understand the truth of what had happened to him. But his body betrayed him, the last of his strength slipping away as he sank back into unconsciousness. The voices faded once more, leaving him adrift in the sea of memories and dreams that surged through him.
Time passed, though how much Torrack could not tell. He slipped in and out of consciousness, each time awakening to the gentle care of the villagers, their faces beginning to grow familiar as he grew stronger. Yet his mind remained entangled in the strange memories that had flooded him. The fragments of dragons' lives persisted, haunting his dreams and coloring his thoughts. It was as though he had lived countless lifetimes within those few days of slumber, experiencing a world far older and wilder than he could ever comprehend.
Days later, Torrack opened his eyes to see the older healer seated beside him, watching him with a quiet, knowing gaze. He attempted to sit up, and though his muscles protested, he managed to lift himself.
"You're stronger now," she observed with a nod. "Good. I wasn't sure if you would ever fully wake."
Torrack's mind was still hazy, but he forced himself to speak. "Why…why am I here? I remember…" He trailed off, struggling to find words to explain what he himself barely understood.
The healer's eyes softened. "I do not know what brought you here, only that you were found alone and nearly lost to this world. Perhaps you were on a journey of some sort, one that only you can understand."
Torrack nodded, though the answer gave him no peace. He closed his eyes, pressing his palms to his forehead as he felt fragments of memories returning, threads of dragonkind's knowledge intertwining with his own.
For the next few days, Torrack remained in the small village, gathering his strength and trying to piece together the meaning behind his experience. His thoughts frequently drifted to Kaelith, a vague worry lingering in the back of his mind. He wondered where she was, whether she was safe, and if she had managed to continue her journey in his absence.
But more than anything, he wondered about the dragon memories that had merged with his own, the strange dreams that left him feeling changed, as though he had been reborn into a different form. Whatever power he had encountered, he could sense its residue within him, like embers of a fire that had yet to fully die out.
With a newfound determination, Torrack resolved to return to the world beyond Aia and seek out the answers he so desperately needed. There was something waiting for him, something he was meant to do. And though he didn't yet know what it was, he knew that he would find his purpose, one step at a time.