Tyler was asleep. He knew that as soon as he understood his surroundings.

He was in an old Japanese style dojo from his memories, a long, bamboo sword held loosely in front of him. He had little control over his body, because this was less a dream and more of a memory. This was a day he could remember vividly. It was the first time his heart stopped.

When Tyler was born, the doctors knew that his heart was weak. They told his parents to keep him away from activities that would be overly stressful on his heart, but when Tyler found that out, he openly rebelled against the doctor’s suggestions. Naturally, since he was a young child, he had gravitated towards martial arts of all kinds. He tried Karate, Muay Thai and Jiujitsu, but none of them felt quite right. Eventually, he found himself in a Kendo dojo.

As soon as he lifted the light bamboo sword, he knew it was right. He then quickly rose through the ranks, and would’ve even been a child prodigy if it hadn’t been for his heart. His skill came not from his body, though. The reason Tyler was almost unrivaled for his age was his ability to see the opponent’s strikes before they hit, and counter them with a single thought. He quickly learned how to use the minimal amount of effort to deflect the strikes directed towards him, and then strike the winning blow.

In the dream, though, he was in a kendo competition. He was seven years old, and the opponent in front of him was ten. Even so, they had been sparring for some minutes with neither side gaining the upper hand. Tyler, though he didn’t show it on his face, was growing tired. A dull ache had grown in his chest, and he was pale and sweating. He had managed to fend off the superior opponent through pure skill, but his body was paying the price.

Tyler rushed forward in the dream, but in his head, he was screaming ‘Don’t do it! Give up. Your heart can’t take much more.’ It was merely a memory, though. The ending was already set.

As Tyler rushed towards his opponent, his sword gripped in both hands, the older boy merely set his stance. A series of exchanges followed, ending in Tyler finally slipping through the boy’s defenses and hitting his target. That was his second point, so he won the match. However, as soon as he did, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. A second later, his vision was edged in darkness, and he was blacking out.

From his memory, Tyler knew that he didn’t die. There had been a defibrillator handy in the dojo, and he had woken up 24 hours later in a hospital bed. After that scare, he had been much more careful while practicing kendo, and he never joined another competition. His heart hadn’t stopped again—at least until the day he died.

Now, he found himself in a familiar dark place. For a heavy moment, he wondered if he was stuck in another limbo. What on Somnium? I thought I would be done with these, he thought groggily. After a moment of consideration, though, he realized that this wasn’t quite the same as his blank dreams. Though it was similar in the aspect that it was totally dark, there were a few distinct differences. First of all, he could feel his existence. Instead of being in a complete and boundless void while simultaneously existing and not, he could actually feel his body. He was in a resting position, facing upwards as though on his back.

However no matter how much he attempted to move or open his eyes, it was as if he was frozen in stone. The most he could do was cause the very ends of his fingers to subtly twitch. Now, though, he had time to think for the first time in the mere two days since he hatched from the dragon egg. What have I been doing this whole time? Being another species and having a strong body has made me complacent. Whether it be my old world or my new one, I know the nature of things.

The world is cruel and unforgiving. In order to survive in the world, people are selfish. I cannot trust anyone in this new world, not even James.

And, even with my new body, I am much weaker than this world’s standard. Watching James fight showed me that much. I either need to find a way to stay safe until I grow, or I need to grow stronger on my own.

After a long moment of self reflection in utter silence, Tyler began to hear something. It was very soft at first, almost too soft to hear. As he focused on it though, it grew in clarity until he could understand what he was hearing.

Is that… crying? Tyler thought with surprise. He had thought that his blank dreams were the strangest dreams he would ever have, but this one had them beat.

He could hear a soft crying, and another, younger voice of comfort. Mom? Gray? Is that you? Tyler tried to speak, but he couldn’t even move his lips, let alone speak to them. He then heard a strange beeping noise, in time with the very slow beating of his heart. What is that noise? All of a sudden, Tyler heard loud, incomprehensible voices like a cacophony around him, and an abrupt stop to the crying. As if the loud voices were chasing him away, Tyler slowly drifted elsewhere.

He was in a blank, dark space once again, but he could see purple specks, almost like stars, blurring past him as if he was moving extremely fast. Suddenly, he found himself in a dark, spacious cave-like room. He was in his baby dragon form, but his body was incorporeal and slightly transparent despite him standing on solid ground.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Hmm, I finally found you,” a low feminine voice echoed through the chamber.

‘What is this? Where am I?’ Tyler said, not quite out loud but not in his head either.

“I’ve brought you to my final resting space. You should be thankful!” the voice said with an apparent smirk on her unseen face. “If your soul wandered for any longer, it’s possible that you would be lost to the void.”

‘Who… who are you?’ Tyler asked, still feeling disoriented.

“Oh, you don’t recognize me? I’m hurt,” the voice teased, the smile evident in her smooth, lilting voice. Tyler slowly turned his body, which was more of a mental struggle than a physical one. Resting on the ground behind him, was a fully grown dragon.

She was beautiful, with scales of deep blue that shone like the moon, and eyes of a bright gold that seemed to burn brighter than the hottest flame. Her wings were spread out behind her, like twin sails on a vast ship.

“After all, what kind of child can’t recognize their own mother?” The dragon murmured with a grin on her face.

“My… mother?” Tyler asked, still confused. He already had a mother.

“Yes. My name is Luna, the Dragon of the Moon. And I am your mother.”

“Is this… just a dream?”

“I guess you could call it a dream, but I would not call it just a dream. The things you are seeing are real.”

“What is this place?” Tyler asked in wonderment, finally noticing the spacious cave where they conversed. The cavern was absolutely massive—it had to be in order to fit the dragon’s body. That wasn’t what made Tyler gasp in amazement, though. Far, far above his head, millions—perhaps billions—of tiny stars burned brightly. They weren’t really stars, of course. They were in a deep cave, after all, with no way to even see the sky. Instead, they seemed to be strange glowing crystals, each one larger than Tyler himself, but far enough away that they were similar in appearance to the night sky.

“This is a cave, deep within what is known as the Gehenna Labyrinth.”

“What is the Gehenna Labyrinth?” Tyler parroted, cursing himself for still sounding like a child. He was new to this world, after all, and still had much to learn.

Luna simply chuckled before bending down to answer him. “Under the continent, there is a network of natural labyrinths called Gehenna. The tunnels are constantly changing, so no one will find me here.”

“Why do you not want to be found?” Tyler asked. Luna sighed, and didn’t speak again until a few breaths had passed.

“Because I’m dying, little one. I was betrayed by one who was once my friend, and now I simply want to die in peace.”

Tyler gasped. “What can I do to save you?” He didn’t know why—maybe because this mysterious dragon truly was this body’s mother, or perhaps some other reason—but he didn’t want this beautiful creature to die. He had only just met her, but letting her die seemed like it would be a crime.

Luna merely showed a sad smile, her sharp, perfectly white teeth glinting in the crystal’s light. “Thank you for showing your concern, my child. However, there is nothing you can do to help. My soul has been injured—something that Eirwyn shouldn’t even be capable of. Either way, though, it’s bad enough that death is a certainty. Every minute, my soul deteriorates more and more. Eventually, I will simply turn to dust.” Tyler didn’t respond to that. It was just too sad, and gave him a stark reminder of his life on Earth. That was how he had felt. His heart had a time limit, and once he hit that limit, he would die. There was nothing the doctors could do to extend his life, besides telling him to avoid strenuous activity.

“Well, there might be something you can do. At least to ease my passing,” Luna continued, as though this was an afterthought.”

Tyler perked up. “What is it?” he asked excitedly.

“Don’t understand me wrong. You can do nothing to save my life. However, I would like to see the face of my son before I die. If you find me, I will name you.” Tyler’s eyes widened at that.

“Why can’t you just name me right now?” Tyler asked.

“The name of a dragon is sacred. It is not some arbitrary thing, like the naming rituals of humankind.” The way she spat the word ‘humankind’ made Tyler" wonder if she held enmity for the humans. “In order to name you, you must come to me.”

“How will I find you?” Tyler asked.

“I will give you a guidestone,” Luna said simply, gently moving her right claws towards Tyler. As they got closer, Tyler could see a small, glowing stone held gently between two of her claws. The way it shone was different from pure mana. Instead of the iridescent white light, the stone shone with a solid bright blue. “This stone will be held by your soul so that when you wake again in your own body, this stone will be clasped in your hand. Once you enter the Gehenna labyrinth, the stone will guide you to me,” Luna stated, her voice growing softer the longer she spoke. Her eyes were also not glowing as brightly as they were before.

“I will find you,” Tyler spoke fervently. I need to receive a name, he thought after he spoke. He didn’t completely understand why, but he instinctively knew that his name would be important, and that no matter what, he must attain one. And so, he would do what this dragon was asking him. If not to fulfill her dying wish, then to receive a name.

“Thank you,” Luna was almost whispering at this point. “One last thing… before you go. Be wary of trusting Humankind. They will want to use you for your potential. If they find they cannot, they will wish to destroy you. It is what happened to me, it is what happened to many other good dragons who chose to grow close to humans. Be careful… and stay safe.” Tyler could feel his incorporeal body slowly dissolving, his mind moving away from the beautiful cave. Even so, he responded anyway.

“Oh, my dear mother from this world. You didn’t need to tell me that. I saw through this place the moment I was born into it. The only one I can trust here is myself.”