Revelations

Chris wakes up again to discover there is a lot more to all of this than meets the eye

He opened his eyes, he was still in the same non-room, but the chair he had been sitting on had gone and he was lying on what looked like an onyx slab although it certainly didn’t feel like one. The surface of it had moulded perfectly to his body and was soft and really rather cosy. There was also a pillow in what looked like a black satin or silk pillow case although both silk and satin felt rather rough by comparison. It was almost as if it had been made by the smoke itself.

Speaking of the smoke, it was still present although it did not seem quite as thick as it had been the previous night? Day? He really wasn't sure. He settled the argument in his mind by simply saying 'Before I fell asleep.'.

He did however remember Jessica having come to him last night before the sleep took him. Surely that was real enough wasn't it?.

He had no sooner thought of her and there she was walking toward him, seemingly from nowhere.

“you look much better now” she said to him, that same warm smile on her face, her blue eyes sparkling.

“I �" I feel better” he stammered, this was all still rather strange to him still. His baring were certainly shot, he had no idea where he was or why.

Jessica sat next to him on the onyx slab. She leaned into him and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. This time there was no electric jolt, but it did still serve to fill him with warmth, that fuzzy sort of warm that only the true love of your life can give with just a simple touch.

“Take my hand and close your eyes.” she said offering her slender palm to him. “This can cause a little nausea until you know what to expect, but closing your eyes can help.”

He closed his eyes and placed his and on her soft skin and after a second he felt his whole body tingle just for a second or two before it disappeared as quickly as it had begun. When he opened his eyes again both he and Jessica were seated on a fallen tree in a green forest with a small crystal clear pond before them. Not just any sort of green though. It almost seemed impossibly green. Yellowy-green in places and the sunlight was soft ad warm on his skin.

He took in a lung full of the air and the sweet taste of grass and the new dew upon it filled his nostrils and throat.

Suddenly the realization dawned on him that the scenery had actually changed, but he had not recalled moving at all.

His eyes grew wide with shock briefly before Jessica placed her hand on his lap “It's OK. You are perfectly safe.” she said. Her eyes reassuring, her smile genuine, and he trusted her and believed her completely. The panic disappeared instantly.

“you must have so many questions going through your head right now” she said

He turned his thoughts inwardly for the first time since he had arrived wherever it was that this place was and true enough, the questions were spinning in his mind. So many of them that he really couldn't focus on one of them for long enough to comprehend what it was.

He opened his mouth ad one of the thoughts simply poured out of it. There really was no thought or selection process involved on his part, it simply formed on his tongue.

“am I dead?” he asked her.

“Yes, well no.... well, yes but not really.” she said. She could see the confusion on his face at her reply so drew a deep breath and begin to speak again.

“Yes, you killed yourself, but we took you a moment before your death and brought you here. No time has passed since that moment in the place where your physical body is so, no. you aren't dead... Yet. But you could be if you want to be.”

She took a sigh in exasperation. Explaining was hard and she had never had to do it before.

“I'm not making much sense am I?”

“Not really” he replied honestly.

“You remember that feeling you always said you had about me. That there was something special, something that you just couldn't put your finger on that just made me feel so right?” she asked.

He nodded In confirmation.

“Well here is a reason for that. I was assigned to you. Many years ago I was given a choice of over 100 people who I would like to be assigned to, ad from the moment I saw your picture, I decided I wanted you. I didn’t even read your profile or anything. I just knew.”

“Assigned by who? For what?”

“Well” she continued. “Your destiny was written before you were even born. You have a much greater purpose than anything you could possibly imagine. Like me, your soul is linked to a Dragon. A guardian charged with not only looking after the human race but also with correcting a wrong that was done many years in the future. A wrong that has taken millennia to put right and will take more time yet to complete.”

“A dragon? You mean like the fire breathing kind?”

“Not exactly” she replied. “Damn I'm bad at this!” she said dropping her shoulders in a sign of defeat. “I need someone who is much better equipped to explain all of this to you as I am still learning the history myself.

She stood up and moved to stand before him. The kindness in her eyes radiating through him.

“I'm going to show you something. Do not be afraid, you will come to no harm although it may look a bit... erm... odd. OK?”

He took a gulp and nodded to her. He knew she spoke the truth and would not harm him but he was nervous. What exactly did she mean?

Jessica closed her eyes and slowly began to glow faintly before the glow formed into golden tendrils and slowly whirled around her. Her form slowly began to shift, wings sprouted from her shoulder blades and grew in length as her body began to transform in to a dragon. Her skin was golden in colour and as the transformation completed and the tendrils dissipated to nothingness Chris sat there with his jaw agog in both amazement and awe. She was perhaps the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and he did indeed feel no fear.

The dragon before him stretched out her wings to full length before furling them up into their normal resting position at her sides before speaking to him in an almost musical tone. It actually sounded like 2 voices in unison, but those 2 voices made the most perfect harmony his ears had ever heard. They spoke as one. He could make out the tones of Jessica's voice and also a new one, which he guessed must belong to the dragon itself.

“I am Syreena” the dragon said. “I am a member of something called the Twenty-one. Do not be afraid, Jessica is perfectly safe, she is within me, just as I am within her. Now come and sit, make yourself comfortable, this could well take some time.”

Author's Note

All constructive comments are welcomed. I'd like to know what you think of the direction, the plot and the characters.