“You seem worried, little one”

“A little, Auntie. Do you have any pets?”

The dragon tapped its tail against his back

“Just one”

“I had two. Sort of. My sister used to sneak things inside for me. Books, food, and she caught a slime for me. There was a house spider too. I used to sneak them food”

“You tamed a slime?”

“I guess”, he scratched his head, “there was so little mana, not much survived. Plants would go in about a week. The slime shrunk down, but seemed happy enough. The spider hunted on the creatures that came nearby”

It wasn’t exactly a barrier, more or a ward, or a pump. The areas he lived in had magical circuits to drain the area of mana, leading to a thick bubble of mana around his home.

“Do you think they’ll be alright without you?”, the dragon enquired

“Maybe. Maybe they’ll eat each other. The spider would occasionally bring back a bird. I found it wrapping up a fox carcass once.”

“If they could survive under the barriers, they’ll thrive outside of them. I imagine your keepers will have switched off those spells as soon as you left.”

“Maybe”, he sighed, “ok, that’s one story from me. Your turn”

They both had a lot of time to fill. It would be a week before reaching the edge of the forest. Maybe a month until a village, or a town. There was an unwritten rule to not live anywhere closer for fear of upsetting the sole inhabitant. They took turns answering questions to fill the time.

“Fine, you get one more question today. Think before you ask, squirt”

“What would happen if I tried to use magic, beyond breaking the rules. I want to understand the restrictions.”

He sighed. “It’s been eating me up that I sat inside a bubble for nothing. I don’t want to do that again. Auntie, why can’t I use magic?”

“It wasn’t for nothing, it was for foolish reasons. Fools with good intentions and no foresight. That is one of the reasons you only get to ask one big question a day. I want you to think about what sort of answer you expect before asking me of my time.”

It coughed.

“As for Magic, Human Magic, Spells, I think the answer will become clear once you understand what has happened to you. The mana that was inside of me, a large chunk of it is rushing around your tiny organs. The mana I have left? Haven’t you noticed a lack of explosions? A dragon’s worth of mana doesn’t just take a vacation inside a human.”

Another growl

“I could very easily grow back to my normal size, or forcefully take it back, but both of those will end in a spectacular mess for you. What do you think would happen if a novice mage tries to cast a spell with millennia old mana? I’ve done my best but you’re leaking mana everywhere.”

“I’m sorry”

“For what? If you mean things aren’t good, just say it. I am old, patient, but that does not mean I like to waste time”

“I feel responsible for the accident”

“Join the club, youngling, I should have unsealed you before starting the contract. It’s a good sign you’re worried more about me than you are about yourself. You should know that it isn’t harming you. It’s repairing some of the damage those fools did. We do not need to rush, it will return to me slowly. We can be patient, but we must be careful.”

“I understand, um, if it’s not a big question, what should I call you?”

“Auntie is fine, and don’t worry about being so informal. I’m too old for that, and you’re stuck with me for a while, young man. ”

“Ok Auntie, um, Auntie, I know I keep asking questions, but what is my name? How do I introduce myself”

“The name is more of a formality, a way of loaning you my authority. Your old name is fine”

“Um”

“What?”

“The offering, or brother, or son. The church never let me have a name. Yours is the only one I have”

The dragon slumped over his shoulder.

“Fools”

The dragon cussed under their breath before deciding to teach him a little of the dragon tongue.

“You move the air, but a dragon speaks and moves the mana. A single word can change everything. Your name”, it growled, “is I think twenty, thirty words, well, sentences”

“I recognise it as my name at least, but, that’s a long name”

“Ha! No! I picked something simple for you”

He frowned. It was anything but simple. An hour of listening to the dragon grunt and cough as it broke down the words into smaller and smaller chunks.

“Finally, this is the root of the last compound word. Light”

The dragon made the tiniest squeak, and a small ball of light gently faded in and out of view.

“Light”, he replied, jaw hanging open, “You speak with magic”

“Yes, and your little growling language is terribly slow. Did you pick up any of that”

“Uhhhh. No”

A snort. “Of course not, but did you feel the mana.”

It coughed twice, the second time producing a flash of light

“Nothing’

A sigh.

“I guess I have to start somewhere simpler.”

The whole ‘packed with mana and glowing’ problem had to be dealt with first.

“I’m going to ease up on keeping mana inside of you, and let more of your aura out”

A gentle tingling at first but then shooting pains across his back. “Can you hold on?”

“... yes.... “, he sputtered out

“I’m going to push back now, try and focus on the sensation. Not of me pushing, but of the mana being pulled back inside of you. Visualisation is important, young man”

He closed his eyes. It was tortuously slow. The pressure began to build around him, but the shooting pains hadn’t subsided. He could feel things falling into alighnment inside of him, a popping sensation as it fell into place.

“Now imagine pulling more of it inside of you, Good. Good”, the dragon nodded.

A little trembling but he was still on his feet. “I’m going to push harder, Ok?”

“OK”

“Now you try to push again”

The dragon went through nine or ten cycles, before he could take a break. An hour of practice, more breaks, until finally he’d managed to hold it in, just long enough to feel the mana around him.

Like a high pitched whine, once he’d noticed it, it was hard to forget. The dragon eagerly repeated their earlier lesson, rattling through the word clusters that made up his name. It was time for him to start growling”

“Rrrrrrrr” “Almost but more from your core” “Raaaaaaaaaaaaa”

“No, not quite, imagine pushing yourself inside out through your mouth” “Hrrrr”

“Not like that you’ll hurl! Intensity, Focus, Will!”

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”

A dot of light flashed in front of him

“Don’t stop. Harder.”

“Hurraaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh”

A small glow, but it lasted for more than a moment.

“One more time, but put more mana into it. Really, Really go for it”

A few deep breaths. Trying to feel the mana flowing around him, he tried pushing it around to whip it up to speed, slowly building up as he took long, slow, breaths.

He counted down from three, and screamed, pushing everything into it.

A bright glow formed infront of him. He screamed louder.

The dragon leaped from his shoulder, and batted the ball of light away, just as he ran out of breath.

Everything hurt. He slumped into the ground, face first. The dragon watched on, smirking. The ball of light was still going without him, now hovering a fair distance above them. It would take some effort to dispel, but only a little to keep it out of harm’s way.

His face, lips especially had dried out and began to crack apart.

“Next lesson is control, volume.”, it kicked him in the legs, “Get up”

“Urghh”

“No time like now to try, especially while it will hurt to speak so loudly. Imagine a whisper”

“Hffff”, he blew air through his cracked lips. It hurt, it stung, but the dragon was correct, it was easier to hold back. It was another hour of huffing before he could replicate the word without wincing in pain.

“How do you feel though, young man, now you’ve said a few words of my tongue?”

“What’s the point in learning my name if no-one but you can pronounce it”

It cackled, “Maybe someone else will give you a nickname, but do you feel better? Calmer?”

“I guess”

He was tired and it hurt to speak, but his stomach wasn’t so giddy, he felt less on edge.

“Your human spells, are about doing the most with the tiniest fraction of mana. A light spell might take more than a day to learn normally. The dragon tongue, is about control of mana, currents, patterns. Using it will naturally temper the mana inside of you.”

It smiled, “I’ve always wanted to teach a human but they normally run out after a single word. I hope you like practicing, because until I get my mana back, this is all we’ll do”

He groaned. At least he had made it out of the nest.

They’d made camp at the boundary stone, a warning marker for the lair. A tall stone block, as large as a house, roughly carved out and dropped haphazardly into the earth. Smaller inscriptions in various human languages surrounded the base, describing in great detail of the danger of approaching.

“Do you know where we are? It’s been a hundred years since I came this way at ground level. “

He shrugged. “I wish. I couldn’t tell you where we are on a map. There does seem to be a road further up, maybe. “

“I’d fly up and take a better look, but, best not to get too far away from you”

“I’m not about to run away”

“I know that. You might explode if I don’t keep an eye on you, though”

“Explode?”

“Yes. Although with a few weeks more of practice, I should have a little more confidence. Right now you *probably* won’t explode, but more than a few minutes might be pushing it”

“Uurhhgh”

“... are you not enjoying my lessons, young man?”

“I am, but, I’m worried”, he rubbed the back of his head.

“There is one option. I can freeze you, take a nap for a few hundred years and the mana will naturally return”

“No thanks Auntie. I kinda like exploring with you. I still want to meet my sister too”

“Plenty of time. Until then, young one. Practice, Practice, Practice. Once you’ve got your name, we can move onto mine”

It took him two weeks to learn all of the new words. He had plenty of free time. No-one lived close to the dragon, few wandered close by. The journey was quiet, if you didn’t include the regular screams the young man made as he crossed the plains in search of a village.

Each morning he would tear down his makeshift camp. Wrap up the bedding, hammock. Cover over the hole he’d dug for the fire, and double check his inventory. He had two days of rations left.

Despite growing up inside a bubble, he had gotten the hang of camping outside fairly quickly. His sister had smuggled him books on the basics, and he would quiz her incessantly during the short visits.

He had been eager for an adventure, and many of his daydreams had been fulfilled already. Today, he was hoping for more practical things to happen, like somewhere to resupply.

“I can go hunt. It seems you’re not so bad when you’re asleep-far more stable—but maybe only half a day before I’d have to check up”

“Where are the animals, anyway?”

“Until you get the hang of it, absolutely no-where near you. Your aura is all over the place, child. I’ve taken almost half back already, but the last chunk seems stuck. Do you know what that means?”

“More practice”

He coughed.

They started from the beginning. His name. The dragon quietly growled it out. He knew it by heart. He could feel the words resonate within him. The name he’d received had been burned onto him, and he could feel the mana roar when called.

He closed his eyes.

Auntie had slowly explained his name, piece by piece. A story about a hollow dragon that goes around looking to fill itself, causing trouble. They’d explained that a name was a reflection, rather than a declaration of who he was.

It wasn’t as bad it sounded. There was nuance. Part of it was innocently getting into problems but it was also surviving through the impossible. The dragon felt it was an appropriate name for someone who took their mana and lived.

He focused on the emotions. The relief of being in one piece. The terror of doing anything wrong and exploding into pieces. The optimism to still try and just enough curiosity to get burnt again.

It was an appropriate name. He smirked a bit before gathering his breath and roaring out his name.

“Kyysaaaahhhrrrr”

It was right. So so right, it felt like when auntie said it, but better. He could feel his body shake in approval, the mana cascading around him in victory laps.

“Young man, you did it. Again”

He roared. “Louder”. He screamed. “Finally with everything”

He screamed out his name in a short cry, pushing the words together into a single roar.

“[Kyzr]”

The roar was deafening. The trees wobbled nearby, and he could hear one or two echoes. It felt amazing, he felt like he was running across an edge without any fear. He felt incredible.

“Child!”

“Young man!”

The dragon roared out his name, snapping him out of his amazement.

“I did it”

“Do you feel any different”

“Everything. Oh god I feel awake and alive, like i’ve slept forever and woken up and oh god”

He whispered his name gently. “I have a name, thank you”

“You can call me [Srmr] if you like”

He blinked. He knew what that meant. Another story. A friend of the heavens who waited for their love to return from their never-ending duty. It was a little heartbreaking, but talked of strength through recovery, endless compassion, but a firm sense of morals.

“It’s a beautiful name [Srmr]”

“Thank you [Kyzr]”, she spluttered, “wait, again?”

He repeated her name. The dragon roared in appreciation.

“Wait, did you feel anything when you said my name”

“Kinda, but only like saying something like [Light]”, he gently summoned a few glittering dots in front of him.

“Auntie?... Auntie?”, the dragon had stopped responding.

“What is it?”

The dragon leapt from his shoulder, and landed in front of him. It grew in size until it was eye level with him.

“Troublemaker”

Narrowing its eyes, it leaned forward, closing in on his face.

“You’re still glowing like a bonfire, but...”, it peered around him, “... you’re stable”

“No splode?”

It coughed. “Not unless you start casting human magic”

“What?”

“Young one, this will be your final question for the day. Let me recap. I gave you a name, and loaned you some of my power, you took far more than a human can bare, I managed to take half back, but in learning your name, the mana has been branded as yours. It wants to be inside you now. “

It cackled, “Thieving git. I’d say I’ve repaid any debts to you in full. Still, no human magic, and your aura is still too much but”, it nodded, “not bad, little one”

“Now jump on my back and let’s get out of here. Two weeks is two weeks too many on the ground. With you set, flying shouldn’t be too hard.”

The dragon shook it’s wings.

He went over his inventory one last time, double checking the camp. It was a little awkward to climb around her neck, but he managed to scramble into place.

“Comfortable?” “Yes”

A quick spell pushed him down into place, he felt a weight on his legs holding him tight, and a little push from behind.

Without any more questions, she extended her wings, leapt up, and quickly began soaring higher and higher.

It was incredible.

A month ago, his best hope was perhaps exploring the world. He never imagined seeing it from above. The stones marking out the dragon’s territory were the few landmarks that stood out from above.

It was colder than he’d imagined too. He ended up pulling down his hat and lifting up his scarf, leaving the tinest gap to see through. Faster than he would have believed, the two week journey on foot seemed minuscule right now.

He was still giddy when he landed.

He would tell his sister, his parents, and, he decided to make at least two new friends and tell them about it. The dragon had a smirk on her face, it was nice to get a reaction of awe, and wonder.

Not a care as to where he’d landed, or who had come to greet them.

A tall lady, hastily dressed up in robes, with hair unfurled, had rushed out to meet them. The young man was in a worse state. Two weeks of sleeping outdoors and then blow-dried for an hour or two.

“Mage”, the dragon growled

“Your highness”

“Val”

“Auntie, it’s been so long.”

“Only a few decades. You last longer than most, what’s the rush. I like to nap in my old age”

“You’ve been in your old age for my entire life”

“Yes”, the dragon smiled, “you wouldn’t understand”

“You haven’t changed Auntie”

Val leant in for a hug.

“So I guess it is true, you did call for an adjutant. It’s been what, a few hundred since I did it”

“You were very efficient”, the dragon smirked, “I could take longer naps, but I felt it was time to check in on my neighbours

“[Kyzr], come and say hello to Val”

The young man stumbled over to the mage. She towered over him, and he craned his neck up to face her.

“Hello Val”, he bowed slightly, “I’m [Kyzr]”

Her eyes widened. “What”

“Um, [Kyzr]”

“How. What.”

The dragon began wheezing with laugher. “Kid didn’t have a name, I taught him how to pronounce his new name. He can say my name, too”

“Do it”, she grabbed onto his shoulders, pushing him into the ground, “Say Auntie’s name”

“[Srmr], and I’m [Kyzr]”

“What is wrong with you, how are you even alive?”

He blinked.

“Auntie”, she turned to face the dragon, “Explain. No bargains, no exchange, just tell me what’s going on”

“That little man took two millennia worth of mana when I named him. A little bottomless pit, greedy child bit off more than he could chew. He was on the verge of implosion, leaking mana everywhere, so, well”

“But... How?...”

“Stable? It all cleared up once he got his name right.”

“You could of killed him!”

“I know, child, but that amount of mana should have killed him thousands of times over”

Val let the young man go, her arms had started to hurt.

The dragon cackled, “Quite the aura, isn’t it? However he’s useless to me right now”

“Trouble over here”, the dragon pointed, “was kept in a bubble. No magic, no skills, but the mind seems intact. What can you do?”

Val thought over the question.

“How old are you, Kis. Actually, is Kis ok?”

It didn’t feel like his name, but it sounded close enough.

“17, Val. I guess Kis is fine.”, he nodded.

The dragon smirked. “Well, Val? What do you make of young Kis here”

She paused. “I’ve got three months until I have to go back to work, but...”

“Perfect”, the dragon began to flap, “I need to take a long nap, three months sounds wonderful, see you then”

“You’d better set an alarm, Auntie. If you’re late I won’t be waiting here”, Val yelled back.

“So, Val?”

“Kis, and I really hope you don’t mind that. Unlike you, or Auntie, I can’t speak dragon”

“I only know my name and hers”, he kicked the dirt, “Nothing else. No spells”

Val rolled her eyes.

“Come inside, get washed. There should be someone on site to help you get dressed. “