Something was wrong. I knew it from the moment I woke up. Everything felt off… Strange and unnatural, but most of all, I felt awkward, something I had never felt before. My lair, a cavern I carved into an iceberg, looked as it always had.

After stretching languidly, I slid down the modest hoard of gold I slept on, and walked over to the remains of my dinner. Little meat was left from the [Greater Polar Bear] I killed yesterday, so I cracked open several of it's larger bones and sucked out the marrow. It's little more than a snack, but it will do for a few hours. What's wrong with me today? Everything looks normal, but it feels unnatural. Once I finished eating, I walked to the underwater entrance to my lair.

My reflection in the nearly frozen water was WRONG.

I was old, overweight, and disfigured. Not at the Quasimodo level, but people always looked at me with disgust, or worse, pity. As much as I wanted to be this strangely beautiful lizard-human combination, I didn't look like that.

Even though she perfectly matched my every movement.

Memories flooded into my mind. Impossible memories of being human. Of living in a strange world filled with the magic of electronics, and incredible feats of engineering. Wait. Magic of electronics? There isn't anything magical about electronics. Not that I could really explain exactly how they worked. What was so strange about being human? I've always been human. What else could I be? No, I was a primordial dragon, and I have watched countless civilizations rise and fall. The thought of being a simple and weak human was laughable.

I collapsed bonelessly. My mind breaking under the two sets of incompatible memories.

In one, I was human. My life was filled with an endless empty loneliness. Cast out by my own family, shunned by society, always dreaming of human contact. Only on the Internet, where my true face was hidden, could I find companionship, and my few friends. Fantasies were my only outlet. Alone, in my small one room apartment, I remembered finishing a commission on my drawing tablet, the only steady work I could find. Then someone kicked open the door. They screamed about the goddess commanding my death. Then a shotgun, and three explosions of pain. Stomach, chest, then face. They just kept shooting. And… I died.

In the other, I was a primordial dragon. Ancient and powerful. Living in a single eternal moment. An endless yesterday without any real sense of time, stretched past the last ice age. In fact, didn't I cause it? Xelburrayn and I fought. By the time he submitted, our battle had altered weather patterns across the world. My memories didn't stop there. They continued in a seemingly endless yesterday that stretched from last night to… the beginning. I was one of the twelve primordial dragons that formed in the ocean of raw creation energy that poured off the gods as they gave birth to the world.

In both lives I was always alone. Never touched. Never loved.

My worthless human life should only be thrown into sharper contrast by my time as a primordial dragon. After all, I was comfortable in my solitude, and I was one of the most powerful beings on the planet, perhaps the most powerful of them all, short of the gods themselves.

So, why are the few decades I spent as a lonely failure of a human so much… *more* than the eons I ruled over much of the world?

As soon as I had the thought, I knew the answer. Hopes. Dreams. Desires. Without them life is pointless, and a dragon doesn't have any of them. Dragons don't have desires, they simply fill needs. A dragon lives in an eternal now. If you only have the present, you don't have a future, and without a future, how can you hope? How can you dream?

My two selves seem to spiral through my mind, merging into a new combined whole. As the world faded away, I latched onto my human sense of time, and my human hopes, dreams, and desires. I swore to myself that I would never willingly surrender them.

Did I die again? I still don't really know. Either way, I woke up as a new person. Neither human nor dragon. Something new. Hopefully better.

Some of what I clung so desperately to was part of me now. I no longer lived in an endless moment, but my sense of time still wasn't quite that of a human. Although having the patience of an immortal should be a good thing. Most importantly, I knew what I wanted. It wasn't the most noble of goals, but I knew EXACTLY what my life was missing.

Sex.

Should I make this a classic fairytale? A princess captured by a dragon? I couldn't stop grinning. Princess. Apparently I was still a lesbian. Not that I actually cared about their social status. Queen or beggar, once their nude body was under mine, what difference did it make? Other than making sure that they are throughly cleaned first.

Perhaps it was the dragon in me speaking, but why should I stop at one?

No mortal could hope to stop me from traveling around the world, picking out the most beautiful women, then turning them into my harem, even if they are not willing. The thought makes me sigh with pleasure. It would be so easy. Then I let out another sigh, this one tinged with frustration. As much as I enjoyed the thought of a pretty little thing squirming under me, that would be dishonorable.

Unless they attack me first.

Then they would be fair game.

I turned back to my reflection in the water, the same one that brought all these memories flooding back.

I was in my humanoid form. Long white hair cascaded down a hairless body covered in tiny white scales, both my hair and scales were as pure and white as fresh snow. Small pointed ears, and two short spiraling silver horns perfectly accented an ethereally beautiful face, too beautiful to be real. My silver eyes are slitted like a cat, or more accurately, like a crocodiles.

I looked mostly human, but my feet were closer to a reptiles, with strong toes that ended in sharp talons. They would make climbing easy. I always liked going barefoot anyway. At least my hands looked human, except for these retractable silver talons. I flexed my talons, and watched the way they slid in and out of my fingers. They ranged from looking like short fingernails to five inch blades. It's not like a cat's retractable claws. Their isn't enough room inside my fingers to hide a talon that long. Ha, I have magical fingers. Literally. I would need to be careful, accidentally extending one inside a lover wouldn't be pretty.

I cupped my breasts with a smile. Big enough to attract the eyes, without being so big that they would constantly be in the way. I wondered if my tail counterbalanced my breasts. I turned around and took a long look at the reflection of my butt and long prehensile tail. Better than any actor, model, or porn star. Even after airbrushing. I'm the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

My hand drifted down between my legs. Everything was hidden behind a slit, just like every other reptile, but it felt as though everything was there. Only, I was far more sensitive than my human body ever was. Wonderfully so.

I ran one hand down an arm. Many scales covered my body. A few are as large as an inch, but most are so small that they were nearly invisible, and they cover every inch of my skin. I've never thought about it before, but I’ve never had even a small scrape or cut since being reborn into this body, except from fighting truly powerful foes, like other primordial dragons. Even when fighting monsters like the [Greater Polar Bear] I killed earlier. I remembered sticking my arm down it's throat and grabbing it's tongue so it couldn't escape, then I beat it's head in with my other fist. It bit and clawed at me, but even it's strength couldn't cut through my scales. They are truly armor.

I continued to enjoy my reflection. Hands stroking my soft perfection. I couldn't believe I looked like this. I turned around to inspect my ass again. In my last life I always masturbated with my eyes closed. I didn't want to see myself. Now I wish I had mirrors for a better view.

A smile curved my lips as I watched my tail, twitching idly back and forth. I wrapped it around my waist a few times, and stroked a hand gently down it's length. A shiver of anticipation ran through me as I imagined what it would feel like inside me. I sat down on the edge of the pool, and leaned against the ice wall, dangling my feet in the nearly frozen water. Who needs a penis, dildo, or vibrator? A prehensile tail can do so much more than thrusting in and out!

Even though my body burned with desire, I forced myself to go slow. I leaned back and stroked my hands up my body, starting from my hips, and slowly traveling up to my stomach, not stopping until my hands brushed against the bottom of my perky breasts. Then I reversed direction and headed back down. I teased at the edges of my erotic zones. I don't know my own body yet. I haven't masturbated since being born in this body. I guess it's not something dragons normally do. Huh. Actually, since dragons don't reproduce sexually, that made sense. It's memories from my past life that open up this possibility. A spark of worry gnaws at my mind. I hope I enjoy sex. It's possible that dragons work differently. Concerned, I sped things up. I'll make this one a quickie. I could always explore my body later.

Each hand came to rest, cupping a breast with a gentle grip. I stroked my claws across my nipples, and enjoyed the prickling rush of razor sharp edges running over my hardening flesh. My tail slides up between my legs, up over belly, and threaded between my breasts. It hovered before my mouth. I worked up a mouthful of saliva for lubrication, then took the end of my tail into my mouth. Firm and strong, it felt heavier than it should. The sensations coming from my own tail as I slid it between my lips and into my mouth caused me to twitch involuntarily. Oh my god. So good. The end of my tail is an erotic zone! It wasn't as sensitive earlier. Perhaps it only works that way during sex? It seemed to good to be true.

Before the day ended I would understand why my body seemed built for sex.

I allowed the saliva covered length to slide from my mouth, and down my body, until it hovered above my vulva. Over the entrance to my slit. I gently spread my labia and slid my tail into myself. My breathing became ragged with pleasure. I ran my fingers through the thick liquid dripping from my slit to lubricate them, then began to slowly stroke my folds, carefully avoiding my nub. It wasn't time for that yet. I allowed each stroke of my fingers to come a microscopically closer, pleasure build until I couldn't resist any longer, and I started flexing the end of my tail back and forth inside me. I wasn't stroking in and out like someone fucking, instead I twisted and rolled my tail inside of my pussy. It's firm strength was an irresistible pressure. So much better than any dildo. Or vibrator. Or dick. My fingers finally brushed over my nub, and sent a spike of pleasure through me. My pussy tightened involuntarily on my tail, sending another surge of pleasure up it's length. It only took a few strokes with my fingers, as I worked them in time with the twisting of my tail, before an intense orgasm overwhelmed my senses.

I loved my new body.

Still shivering with aftershocks of pleasure, I slid down the wall, rolled onto my back, and started caressing myself again. My tail slid out of my pussy, and traveled up my body, until I took it back into my mouth.

I loved the tart taste of my own pleasure.

It wasn't enough. I needed more. Much more.

When I woke up for the fourth time that same day, I was still laying on the ice floor, riding the afterglow. Was that ten orgasms? Twenty? Either way, I've never imagined anything could feel so good. Not even close. My new body was made for sex.

"I see you enjoyed my gift." The unexpected voice rides the edge of mocking without quite crossing that line.

Reacting instantly, I spun around to face my visitor, shifted into full dragon form, and activated my defensive wards.

How?

Our senses are nearly perfect. Hearing, sight, smell, empathic scenting, tremorsense, and magesense. Between them, it should have been impossible for anything, short of a god, to sneak up on a primordial dragon unawares.

Although I hadn't seen the tall woman standing before me before, I instantly know who she is, and why I didn't sense her approach.

"Kolra, Goddess of Domination and Control, why are you in my lair?" Her timing was a clue. I knew it had something to do with my new memories of a past life. Anything else was to much to hope for.

My human side is shocked. At first, I don't want to admit that gods are real, even if they are not the omniscient and omnipotent beings I was taught about as a human child, but my dragon side knows what she is. This was better. Instead of having one all knowing and all powerful being, their are many for people to choose from. In some ways, choosing a god is closer to choosing a leader than anything else.

"I honored my end of our bargain. It's time for you to honor yours."

"Bargain? What bargain?" I had never bargained with a god. It was simply not worth the risk.

Kolra said, "It's time for you to remember the rest." Then she made a twisting gesture and vanished. Another set of memories opened. Not another life, instead it's what happened after my human life ended. I was a spirit, still looking down at my own dead corpse, when Kolra joined me.

Our conversation wasn't pleasant. That goddess has never been kind.

Kolra explained that she wanted me to be her champion in the gods [Great Game]. She needed someone with a soul strong enough to become a primordial dragon, so she made an offer I couldn't refuse. Serve her faithfully, and she would make sure that I was both beautiful enough and powerful enough to have the sex I had always dreamed of. If I refused, I would spend eternity in everlasting agony. Of course, I had agreed. Some things are worse than death. She forced me to become both her champion, and her [High Priestess].

My human side wanted to hate her for it, but my dragon side felt differently. Kolra had the power, and therefore the right, to make such a demand. She clearly explained my options, then let me make my choice. She didn't attempt to deceive me in any way. I respect that. More importantly, she didn't stop at the minimum. If she had, my body wouldn't be so beautiful, or so perfectly designed for sensual pleasure.

Honor demanded that I hold up my side of our bargain.

Suddenly, the universe itself responded to my acceptance, and I understood the [Great Game], my place in it, and the many rules binding both the champions and the gods.

The [Great Game]. It had many names. In my human life I knew it as Armageddon, Maitreya, and Ragnarok. When the gods created the first world, they fought over the people inhabiting it. There were no winners. All the faithful died. Gods are simply too powerful to fight each other directly. They created another world, and failed a second time. Something had to be done, so they made a pact. Now they cooperate in the creation of a dozen worlds. Instead of battling for control of each world, most likely destroying it in the process, they create a thirteenth game-like world to fight on. They still don't fight directly, even on that world, instead they choose champions to battle for them. The gods invest some of their power into their champions, turning them into demigods, and making them far more powerful than normal mortals. All the gods do their best to beat the system. Anything goes, as long as none of the rules are actually broken.

All champions must reincarnate into a humanoid race of their gods choice. Their are many races to choose from. Most of them were created from games and stories. Humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, beastkin, even catgirls are all valid choices. It shouldn't be possible for a dragon to become a champion. When I asked Kolra about it, she explained that she made a little change to dragons without the other gods noticing. Dragons were no longer monsters that could shift into a humanoid form, instead they were humanoids that could shift into Dragon form. This made them a valid reincarnation race, and Kolra was the only one who knew. At least she didn't think any of the other gods knew.