“Kenan.” The great white dragon swirled in his spot. As if a cat trying to find a spot to lay down. “In my tongue, it means sorrow.” Nattura then got close to the bars of the cage. So close that Kenan could feel it’s hot and musty breath waff over him. “Have you felt sorrow?” Kenan’s thoughts immediately placed the images of his parents and best friend in primarily function. “No need to talk mortal, it’s in your eyes.”

The boy went silent, looking at his feet and thinking. On the outside, Nattura's face was shaped in a perpetual snarl. Like it was always in this mode of supremacy, arrogance, and condensing attitude. The words he used, his voice, and his thoughts concerning mortals did not help him set up a caring front. Yet, he was feeling somewhat empathetic. It seemed like all the beings like the duo were cursed with the advantage they had taken for themselves. Yet the chances of finding two at one place and time was slim. One of them being bound in a sword while the other used it, was even slimmer. Nattura thought the Fates were scheming once more. He learned his lesson, and planned on his own.

“I have felt sorrow, boy.” The dragon then once again laid down. This time to purposely to seem less menacing. Considering the sheer size of Nattura, it didn’t help him much. “My own bloodline cursed me, threw me down, and killed me. Nearly.” In Nattura's thoughts, he raged at the memories. But they also squirmed at the idea of this child. He needed just a little thread of conversation with the boy. Magic wasn’t going to do it, so maybe his natural charisma and persuasion could. “My brother.” He involuntarily growled. “Knew he was not powerful enough to kill me. So instead he trapped me. Here.” This time he nearly roared.

Kenan tried to hold back his emotions. He had two weeks to go over the incident, and make peace over what happened. Instead his efforts lead to him opening a barely stitched together wound. “They killed them. My parents, my best friend. Took my sister. Burnt down everything that I know.” He got on his knees. Tears flowed. Anger bubbled only to leave a pain in his chest.

The poor boy’s sobbing struck a heart string and ripped at an old thought in Nattura. However, he chose to ignore the ensuing memory. That was the only thing, in an endless time of contemplation, he was not ready to detangle. “Did you kill them, your attackers?” He asked.

Kenan shook his head. His sorrow was replaced by anger. No it wasn’t rage. Something else. “By the Gods.” He looked up from the ground. Then saw the dragon, and matched black eyed stare with black eyed stare. Determination burned in his blood. “I will. My parents won’t rest. I will cut their throats, slip a blade in their ribs, poison them, or burn them alive! Like they had done to me! I will save my sister! You, The Gods, or anyone else will not stop me from doing so.”

[By the great sky’s, the boy has the fire of any other dragon.] Nattura thought. He smiled. His teeth showed an anticipating emotion. “Do you not know what you are? How easily you could’ve asked them dead without a second thought.”

Kenan stood up. “I am nothing more than a farmer's boy.” Wiping the last vestiges of tears.

Nattura laughed, or tried. To Kenan it was more like a roar. “Boy, you don’t know what you are because of what you lack and you grew up without anybody telling you differently, therefore, you assume it is normal.” Nattura then lifted his tail, and slammed it down. Doing it over and over. Making vibration go through the cave, and did it in a rhythmic way. “This is what you lack. A beat, the music of life. Kenan of sorrow. You are like me.”

Kenan’s mind hit a wall of confusion. "What do you mean? Like you? What Music of life?”

Nattura smiled inwardly. He was starting to tug on the thread. “You know what magic is, boy?”

“Yes..”

“Do you practice it?”

“A little bit, with fire.”

“Good, know about the various schools of it? Yes?”

“Umm. Do you mean attributes?”

“No, I do not. All attributes fall under an overarching school. For example some fire can be considered evocation, some transmutation, other conjuration. It depends. What your whole being, along with mine, and your natural affinity for fall under both evocation and transmutation.”

“I don’t have an affinity.”

“Yes you do. Whoever told you that you didn’t is either a fool or lied. Best ask them.”

“Yeah? I do. Then what is it?”

“Hmpf. It is death magic, boy.”

“No! I cannot be a necromancer! I refuse to be one!”

“Haha.” Nattura roared in laughter. “You're no petty soul dealer. You are like a vampire. You feed on death, using it to become more powerful.”

“That sounds worse! Evil!”

“Evil! What a useless word. Same with good. It was some foolish deity’s words to claim more followers. You think the gods are all good? No! For the world's sake I hope they aren't! That is what I hate about you humans. Good and evil. It’s disgusting.

“Do you think the high-elves are all good and the drow all evil? Because they aren’t. It’s just propaganda used by both sides to make sure the next generation follows there stupid wars. Just like duergar and dwarves. These beings choose battle because they know nothing else! The only low mortals that have figured out there is no such thing as good and bad are the fucking Gnomes! The. Gnomes. Fine! I’ll play your game. You agree it was wrong for them to kill your family, correct? I’m guessing there were some raiders. Judging by your face I’m correct. Did you stop for a second, to think why the bandits were doing what they were doing. Think! Maybe their farms burnt down, there was no longer any gold in their job to be had, or they couldn’t even find a job. So they had to resort to banditry to feed their family. Is that evil?! To feed one's family!”

Kenan’s anger was boiling. “But they are guilty!”

“Guilty! Yes they're guilty of killing your family, of wronging you and your blood-kin. Of committing evil? no such thing.” He stood slithered to get closer to Kenan. “If your enemies have no care of being evil then why should you! If they want to kill you, or those you care about, then why hold yourself back?! In this world, there is no good and evil. Only interests and beings doing whatever it takes to reach them.”

Kenan stayed silent. Nattura dug in. “You have the power to avenge your parents, save your sibling. All you have to do is reach out and take it. I can guide you down the path. Teach you all that I know.”

“So I can kill an endless amount of people because I’m power hungry?”

“No! You fool. You strike down your foes, take their power. Then the next time a being decides to wrong you and the ones you care for. Instead avenging the dead. You can protect the living.”

More silence. {Never borrow what you can’t pay back] Kenan’s family mantra played in his head. “Do not take me as a fool dragon. What is your price?”

“You have so much naivety, but coupled with an uncanny maturity. There is always a price.

“Yours is?”

“I will help you get revenge. I will guide you to the heights of dragons. Then, when I deem you are ready, you find someone for me. A half-human. You will take them into your circle of protection. In which you will be defending from enemies of my past.”

“What is this half-human to you?”

“That will come with time. Are you willing to make a pact?”

Another moment of silence. Two pairs of eyes, both the same. Black with a thousand white dots in them.

“Deal.”