Hmm? What’s this? I… I ascended? Bwahaha! I’ve done it! It took me a thousand lives to work my way up from Earth but I’ve finally done it!

Jumping for joy, I notice that, much to my chagrin, I now suffer from a complete lack of a body. Instead, I’m a black ball of energy with individual streams of red and brown flames. I had always been a fiery soul, and it seemed that my true nature revealed itself in my last incarnation: I was a dragon!

I was not just any dragon though, I was the Tyrant Dragon King! Ruler of all that lay before my eyes!

* Well that is except for, you know, the vast majority of everything you saw…

That’s only because I couldn’t be bothered to take it. What use does a dragon have for farms or forests? Anyways, we should probably stop arguing, those judges are looking at us rather strangely.

* You were the only one arguing Number 1…

Stuff it Number 2, you're still jealous because you lost that coin flip...

“Who are you speaking two?” a very concerned voice boomed from above.

Looking up, I could see the judges that were presiding over my trial of ascension.

There were three of them. To the left, sat a stately man. Serene and unperturbed he had a body carved out of Stone. Literally. Rocks, gems, and crystals flowed in slow movements across his skin. His eyes were two massive cores of liquid metal, slowly rolling in their sockets. He was the one who had spoken.

To my right, a jittery young girl bounced around constantly. Boasting elvish features and a mischievous grin, she could almost be described as cute: if of course you didn’t consider the fact that she was in essence an omnipotent hundred foot tall pillar of flames.

Finally, in the very center was the most astonishing of them all. Flickering in and out of existence and truly random intervals he/she/it held no form yet constantly did, performed no action but constantly did: the true epitome of a paradox, and quite a fitting persona for the god of chaos his/her/it self.

“Why just my Second mind of course! Say hello to the nice people number two.”

* Hello Nice People.

Earth and fire looked at me with puzzled expressions while chaos smiled approvingly.

Ah, right. Nobody else can hear the voice in my head. Makes me wonder if I’m actually going crazy sometimes…

* Don’t worry, you aren’t going crazy….

Aww thanks number two!

* You already are.

Yeouch. No more imaginary cookies for you…

Turning my mind away back the the point at hand, I catch the concluding points of earth’s long rant.

“... and so, since this being is far too chaotic, I can not accept him into my ranks. I apologize for what you have become young spirit, you had so much potential.” With great sadness and solemnity in his eyes he transported himself out of the hall of judgement.

“Meh, you can keep your power over me,” fire simply said as she raced out as well. I was surprised to have held her attention for that long. Anyhow, now it was just me and chaos.

For a few seconds we stared at each other. Then we both cracked up laughing.

“Did you see him? He was so serious!”

“I know right? It’s the most dramatic I’ve seen him in a million years!”

“And then his face!” Forming my spirit into a rough interpretation of the Earth, I puttered around a pretend kitchen muttering about how disastrous it all turned out. Chaos laughed for a while longer before he finally settled down and kept a single form.

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“Now I’m afraid their’s good news and bad news,” he explained from the form of a twentieth century doctor.

“What do you want first?” he asked peering over a set of comically small spectacles.

“Good news of course!” I replied utterly relaxed. I had lived over a thousand lives, many of which were immortal. Problems and bad news had become very relative.

-Yet another sign of mental instability…

Ignoring number two, I listen to chaos.

“Alright, so bad news first it is. Since Earth has denied you access to his power, it has disappeared from your spirit.” Sure enough, all the brown flames had faded away. ”That means you’ll have to wait around here for a few millennia or so until you naturally accumulate enough power to ascend without them.”

“And the good news?”

“What good news?” chaos replied, tilting her head to the side as if actually confused.

Sighing inwardly, i begin to wonder if this is how other people feel about dealing with me.

* Oh trust me. You’re almost as bad.

Only almost?

* Yeah. You still can’t make your head detach from your body and do loops.

Drat. I suppose I’ll just have to try harder, though maybe I’ll experiment using your head first.

* Hey, if I die you die.

Pondering how to accomplish such a trick without killing myself or number two,I verbally ask,” Is there any way to speed that up?”

“Kinda sorta.” Chaos replied making a so-so gesture with its tentacle. “ You have to much energy to make a body again, so you would have to go into the world as a spirit. Or,” she adds with a glint in his eye,” you could become a familiar.”

“The benefits?” I ask skeptically.

“You’ll have your own world, you won’t lose power, and you’ll have entertainment for the time you have to wait.”

“The costs?” I ask, much more intrigued.

“Well, you’d have to make your world, your power will be used, but not consumed of course, near constantly, and you’ll have to protect your entertainment.”

“Alright. Sounds good to me.”

“ Great!” Clapping his hands together, Chaos opened a portal beneath me.

Calling out he said,” Enjoy your time as the world’s most overpowered familiar. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

With that, I felt my link to the divine realm dissolve. Replacing it, a small world formed around me. It was still blank and empty, but with time I could shape it to my desire. A small strand of energy led out from my world binding me to the mortal that was blessed with my power.

Feeling refreshed and surrounded by my own power, I took a look at the boy who would be my vessel in his world. He didn’t really appear to be anything special. Short curly brown hair, simple brown eyes, an impish smile, a massive tattoo of a twin headed dragon on his back…

* Er, I don’t quite think that humans are supposed to have that.

Hmm, are you sure? Meh I’ll concede he might be a little special, but then again: he has all of my power! Of course he is!

Chuckling at my own might, I return to my realm to let the newborn infant rest.

-    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -

The night was cold: a poor time for birthing, yet infants like time wait for no one. A simple hut in the middle of a small village was the setting of the event that would change the shape of the world for eternity.

“Come on!”

“Push!”

“One Last Time!”

An infant’s cry pierced the night and the flames of the world stood still. For just one moment, all fire went out and darkness ruled supreme, except of course inside the hut, where the baby boy glowed with power. After that moment, the power rushed out from the boy returning the fires to their rightful place, and leaving a strange mark upon his back. A twin-headed dragon, wings spread in flight. The mark quickly disappeared leaving, not a trace behind on the child’s unblemished skin.