Andre groggily opened his eyes to the darkness of the cavern, his eyelids seemed to weigh tons at this point. After about a minute or two of getting accustomed to it, he finally opened his eyes completely. The amulet hung around his neck now, its glow dimmed but still present, and giving off immense power that resonated perfectly with him, in synchrony with the flame in his chest.
He staggered out of the cavern, his body trembling. The warmth in his chest had changed; it was no longer a steady thrum but a roaring blaze, a force barely contained. Surprisingly, he felt more in tune with it now than before, as it seemed to be flowing throughout his entire body, functioning like a heart.
He had no idea how long he had passed out for, but the moon was now so radiant in the sky telling him it was past bedtime and his parents would be so worried.
Andre raised his hand instinctively, and a stream of golden fire erupted from his palm, spiraling into the sky. It was stronger, more vibrant than before, and terrifying in its intensity.
"I'm not ready for this," Andre whispered, staring at his hand.
"You should be" a voice replied. This jolted Andre as he looked around in panic, his hand instinctively igniting with flame. He could not accurately pinpoint where the voice had sounded from, his best guess, the cavern.
"Who's there?" He asked looking back inside the cavern, caution in his voice. His voice echoing throughout the cavern and against the cliffs.
"I'm here, brat" replied the voice, scaring Andre even further. A part of him wished the voice was just a hallucination. Worst of all, the voice seemed to not be sounding from the cavern either.
"Who are you?" His movements frantic, trying to figure out the exact source of the mysterious voice. "... and where are you sounding from?"
"I'm Kael and for your second question, I'm in your head, I'm now a part of you."
To say Andre was dumbstruck would be an understatement. He stood in shock for what seemed like an eternity, his thoughts haphazard.
'Kael... Kael. That was the name of the dragon in my dreams, wasn't it? Am I going crazy?? In my head???'
"Relax, kid. You're not going crazy. Stop being so dramatic."
Andre could have sworn he saw the dragon roll eyes at him. Getting a grip of himself, Andre asked "So you are the dragon that appeared in my dream?"
"Yes, well atleast a part of his consciousness"
"What do you mean?" Andre asked, his face contorting in confusion
"The great Kael is no more, I'm all that's left of him. A part of his consciousness, I hold parts of his memories, knowledge and experience and I'm going to guide you on this journey of yours."
Andre was confused all the more but he made it a point to note to ask more questions later, after all the so-called consciousness seemed to be going nowhere. He had to get home soon lest his parents start looking for him.
"I have one more question tho,"
"Go on" Kael encouraged.
"Since you're in my head, does this mean you can hear my thoughts?" Andre asked.
An awkward silence followed. Andre realised Kael didn't seem like he was going to talk soon which could only confirm his fears.
***
Andre spent the next half an hour scaling down the mountains and sprinting home, at top speed. By the time he got home, his parents were worried. He had to think up of an excuse on his feet, of where he had gone to and why he had taken long.
"Son, you should know better than to be walking around at this time. Don't worry your mom. You can't defend yourself if anything were to happen." His father had said before retiring to his room.
Andre didn't go to bed just yet, he still had a lot of questions on his mind - a companion in his mindspace, the amulet amplifying his powers. He felt invaded at the thought of Kael in his head, but he also felt glad he had someone who could guide him on this path of his.
With the flame thrumming throughout his entire body, Andre felt he could conjure fire now as if it were an extension of his body, shape it into more intricate forms, and even direct it with precision. The possibilities were exhilarating and overwhelming.
Yet, for all his promising potential, Andre couldn't shake the unease gnawing at him. If there was one universal truth, it was that with great power came great responsibilities. The visions he'd seen before passing out at the cavern hinted at a darker truth, a power that could destroy as easily as it could create.
Remembering, he wasn't alone.
"Are you there?"
"Yes I am" Kael replied.
"Kael, what happened to you? Why do I have this powers??" Andre figured he didn't need to voice his words, Kael was afterall in his head. The communication could ensue with no words being said.
Andre heard nothing from Kael for a few seconds until,
"The thing is, I'm only a minute part of what I once and I have no recollection of such memories as the ones you're asking about. The memories seem to be locked for a reason, I think the better you get at controlling this power, the stronger you get the more you unlock."
Andre figured the information would probably be too overwhelming, Kael was afterall a powerful dragon. It was for the best.
"But if there's anything you need to know now" Kael continued "It's that you need to get much stronger. You're not strong enough to protect this power. And you're in no position to fight the powers that would come at you in the future because of this power of yours."
Somehow, Andre felt Kael was not just referring to the government and strong mages but more powerful creatures.
"And to answer your previous question, I can choose to not listen to your thoughts."
Andre stared at the amulet, the weight of Kael's words sinking in. He glanced at the amulet, its light pulsing gently, and felt the flame within him stir.
He didn't know what lay ahead, but one thing was clear; his journey was only beginning.