“He’s waking up.”

Oculus opened his eyes, slowly taking in the world around him. At first, he couldn’t see anything but blurry images of people moving around. His head felt like someone was pounding his skull with a hammer from the inside. There was a taste of blood on his tongue that had long expired, but rested in small amounts.

The voices of everyone surrounding him, although welcoming, didn’t help with the splitting headache he was undergoing. If anything, it only made the heartbeat in his head beat louder, to the point where the voices vanished behind the sound of his pulse.

The blurriness took over, and Oculus closed his eyes once more. Returning to the dreamless sleeps he’s so used to, he fell back into the palm of sleep.

As soon as he shut his eyes, they opened again, but things changed from the last time. He had no idea how much time had passed. But he could hear the sound of someone snoring nearby. It was the unmistakable sound of his father sleeping that Oculus had grown used to living with him for so long. The villagers would sometimes complain to his father about waking up due to his snoring, but Oculus couldn’t relate to that in the slightest.

Once again, when he opened his eyes, everything was nothing but a blurry outline, adding on to the fact that there was no sign of light in the room. This time, the blurriness failed to overtake him, and he sat up and stretched his back. His head still hurt from the constant headache, but it wasn’t as bad as the first time he woke up. The sound of his heart beating remained in his chest instead of invading his head.

Oculus looked around, the outline of his father stuck out from the darkness. His stomach rose and fell along with the intensity of his snoring. Oculus yawned and stood on his shaking feet. Upon standing, his head waved around and he nearly toppled back to the ground. Placing a hand on the nearby wall, he propped himself up before heading out of the house.

Once he opened the door, a villager who was sitting on the stairs keeping watch turned to greet him. Oculus smiled and waved as the villager stood up and approached him with a concerned-looking face.

“Oculus, why aren’t you resting?” The villager asked.

Oculus chuckled, but he didn’t enter the house. Even when the villager tried to push him back instead, Oculus shoved his hand away.

“I have to find her.” Oculus said, approaching the center of the villager. “She gave herself up to protect us. I can’t let it end like that.”

“Are you crazy!” The villager blew up at him, uncaring if he woke up anyone else. “That metal man shrugged all of us off and nearly killed some of us. It’s a miracle anyone’s alive at all, especially you.”

Oculus ignored the villager’s well intentioned pleas, and he continued heading to the forest. He knew those men were way too strong for him right now, but if he just had a bit more power, then that would have been a different story entirely.

“What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” Oculus said as he neared the forest's edge.

The villager clenched his hands and ran in front of Oculus. Oculus stopped walking forward and just stared at the villager blocking his path.

“Look, I can’t stop you from walking in there. I don’t even know why you’re going into the woods, but I plead with you. Please, just rest. Even if you leave to track them down, it’s been a day since they were here. They’re long gone by now. How could you catch up to them, much less track them down?”

Oculus smiled, but just walked around the villager. It was nice to be cared for, but right now, he couldn’t rest. Someone in the world gave up their freedom to see this beautiful world so he and his family could live. If there was a feeling that he hated alongside feeling like he’s trapped in a cage, it’s the feeling of being in debt to others.

The villager shouted something at Oculus, but Oculus ignored him as he entered the forest. He needed power, and this time he wasn’t leaving until he gained at least some of it.

***

Limply walking into the cave, Oculus used the rough rocky walls to support him. Blood dripped from his calf due to a rough encounter with a Kinx he had walking up here. He still beat it, but it got a good hit on him when he was looking away from it.

Oculus made it into the chasm where Moerchknel was awake and awaiting his visitor. Smoke blew out of his nose, and the heat within the room just made the pain in Oculus’ leg unbearable. He gasped and gripped onto his leg before falling to his knees.

So you have returned in the dead of night once more. From the look of you, I do not believe the fight ended well.

Oculus gasped, shaking his head. “No, it didn’t. Father was knocked out, I was knocked out, and they took Zaundra with them. I can’t imagine it going worse.”

And I’m guessing you’re here to ask for my power again?

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Moerchknel hit the nail straight on. With the power of a Dragon God, he could beat those guys and break Zaundra out from her confines. Nothing could stop him with such power.

The dragon tilted his head, unsure of what to do. He didn’t want to give him the power, not just because Oculus’ body couldn’t handle the sheer might of his energy, but also because he was unsure how Oculus would use such a power. If, by some miracle, his body could survive the procedure, he wasn’t the most responsible of people. Carefree and curious, that combination of personality could spell trouble for anyone on the opposite side of him.

But here he was, bleeding and injured, begging to obtain Moerchknel’s power. This display wasn’t like the other times, where he asked for the power selfishly, but because he wanted to use it to save someone else. However, just because one person could survive from being poisoned doesn’t mean that fifteen others didn’t die next to him.

A compromise set ablaze in Moerchknel’s mind. If this goes right, then they could both get what they wanted. It all depends on Oculus and the beautifully terrifying mistress that is lady luck.

How about this? Moerchknel spoke up. If you can promise me one thing, then I’ll give you a fraction of my power.

“What is it?” Oculus asked.

Once I give you this power, you will have to find proof of there existing another dragon beyond myself, or proof of the extinction of my species.

Oculus blinked rapidly, confused by what Moerchknel meant. “Didn’t I say I would do that multiple times?”

Yes, but you did so to gain my power, not because of any innate want to help me and my quest. However, I am willing to give you this unbreakable promise. If you show any sign of forgetting that promise, I’ll lock the power away from you forever.

Oculus nodded, understanding the contract being signed by making that promise. He didn’t like the fact Moerchknel wasn’t trusting him enough to just give him the power without that promise, but if this was the way to explore the world and rescue Zaundra, then that’s just how it needed to be.

“I promise to find that proof you’re searching for, whether it be better or worse, I’ll find it.”

Moerchknel sighed, smoke and hints of fire exiting his nose. He raised his hand and extended his claws, placing one on Oculus forehead and another on his neck. Putting force into his hands, he pushed them into Oculus’ skin to draw blood, but not damage anything.

Oculus gulped as he felt a slight tingle of heat waft off of Moerchknel’s claws. His head became wet from the blood pouring down his head, and he nearly jumped back once Moerchknel’s claws dug into his neck. He stood still, however, and waited for something to happen.

Let me explain more about this. Your body is too weak to access all my powers right away, so I’ll give you just enough to accomplish your goal while not destroying your body. In time, you may be able to access more of my power, but currently, your body is ill-equipped to take it all on.

“A little bit is all I need for now.” Oculus said.

Very well.

Oculus waited for the moment to happen when the power surged through his body. He imagined something like a glow of white light enveloping him, and suddenly he could shoot fire and lightning out his hands. Or maybe something like a sudden shock passing through him and he gains the powers that way.

Instead, he was set on fire, and it indeed felt like he was on fire. Blacking out from the pain, Oculus closed his eyes.

***

Some time ago, probably around ten years or so in the past, a small red-haired kid made his way to a cave. He went with a few of the men to hunt for food, but along the way he found a Kinx cub and chased it into the woods. It ran away, dashing between the trees until it found a bush and dived into it. When the kid looked inside it, he found nothing there. Once he left the bush, he had realized he had gotten lost, but instead of crying and looking for help, he cheered and ran around, searching for as many cool things as he could find.

After some time, he found the cave and immediately darted into it. Even once the heat was turned up, he ignored it and kept on exploring, all the way to its depths. There, that’s when he found the dragon.

Moerchknel, upon seeing the kid, wondered how he even got here. For as long as he lived, no one had come across him in the Exxen Rings. He was sure that no one lived nearby, and when he found the nice secluded cliff, he burned the cave into it and made it his home.

Strangely enough, the child didn’t look frightened upon seeing him. Instead, the kid looked at him with wonder and awe glinting in his eyes. It didn’t feel right that a kid was looking at him like that, but at the same time, it created a sort of soft spot in him.

“Who are you?” The kid asked.

Moerchknel didn’t know what to do beyond answering the kid. There wasn’t any room in his heart to be as mean as to kill him or scare him away, but he didn’t want the kid to be here only to tell the people he lives with that there’s a dragon hiding away in secret.

My name is Moerchknel, and I am a Dragon God.

“That’s so cool.” The kid squeaked and giggled. “My name’s Oculus. Can we be friends?”

Moerchknel had no idea what the kid was made out of asking a Dragon God to be friends, but there was something about the kid that radiated positivity. It was so infectious that he couldn’t just say no, but he didn’t say yes either.

Can you leave now? Moerchknel asked. You are not wanted here. If you don’t leave, I’ll burn you alive.

He wasn’t actually going to do that, though. All he wanted to do was scare the little kid off. However, instead of running away, the kid pouted and ran up to his leg and punched him. The kid screamed upon touching his leg, as the scales cut his hand badly. Still, he didn’t break down crying, although tears welled up in his eyes.

Moerchknel sighed and touched the kid’s hand with his claw, and the hand cut on fire, but instead of burning it, all the cuts healed instantly. Oculus gasped and looked at his hand. It had no cuts on it and it wasn’t even dirty. Somehow, the hand restored itself completely.

“Thank you, buddy.” Suddenly, the sound of someone shouting echoed into the cave. Oculus looked shocked and turned to leave, but before he left, he gave one last look to Moerchknel. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Oculus waved and ran down the cave before anyone came any closer into the cave.

Moerchknel watched the kid leave, and he curled up and closed his eyes. Maybe if the kid does come, then he’ll think he’s dead if he’s sleeping and leave him alone.