3 Months later.

Evan woke up in the middle of the night. He left his usual sleeping spot in the cave to go for a midnight walk. Ever since he was accepted into the tribe of dragons he struggled to adjust to his new life. No matter how much companionship they could provide him, he was still terribly alone.He had been stupid. His need of companionship had made him accept the advances of a female dragon called Night Star; however he didn’t realise that dragons mated for life. Shortly after realizing it, he stopped showing her any kind of kindness or affection. For the longest time she had tried to sleep alongside her new partner every night, but after one month she stopped. She still repeatedly attempted to make him comfortable with his new life by bringing food to him and building their nest to become more comfortable but Evan would always push her away and do his best not to acknowledge her in any way. Little did he care that Night Star felt substandard and worthless: in fact, he didn’t care about dragons at all. He would have no peace until he got back to how he used to be. Back to being human.

Evan looked up at the moon high above in the sky, its pale light dimly litting the cave entrance; the crisp, clean air filled his lungs while his thoughts tried once more to reasonon how to return his humanity. Until then, there was nothing in the valley that could be useful, nor did the other dragons know anything on how to turn him back. All Evan remembered was that The Voice wanted him to come there before the change was complete But what for?

He looked back toward the cave. His enhanced eyes saw through the darkness Night Star...and then realised what The Voice had wanted since the beginning. Curled up between the cave floor and the dragoness were ten oval shaped eggs.

Evan frowned. He walked toward her, stared at his soon-to-be-hatchlings and weighed his options before cementing his decision.

He awkwardly walked toward the eggs with his left foreleg holding a rock he had found on the ground, his face twisted into stern determination as he approached them and loomed over them. His anger welled up within him as he remembered how it happened: that day when Night Star took advantage of him in a moment of deep depression - deeper than usual - or her own selfish desire Evan merely watched as she forced the eggs out of her body and onto the cold earth. If he used to care little for her, now he did not care at all; despite her learning to accept his coldness, she would finally learn what he should have taught her long ago..

He raised the rock above his head preparing to bring it down on the eggs.

STOP!

The Voice. He had expected him, for that had been his goal since the beginning. However, he wouldn’t passively accept his teachings again. He would take back his humanity, starting from this.

Go away, Voice. I am going to end your game!

You can’t do this Evan. These are your children! They are innocent!

They are not my children, they are monsters that I created out of an accident! Do you think I’m stupid? I understood that you brought me here so I would mate with an animal!!

What are you saying, Evan? I didn’t bring you here for that!. It was Night! Look, I know you are angry but Night knows what she did! She did it in the hopes you would finally accept your new, better reality!

I AM DONE WITH CHANGING! I am tired of losing myself bit by bit! And now you want to change my very essence? My TRUE essence? What else is left still, haven’t I transformed enough for you?

Please… Evan… I am begging you, don’t hurt your babies. Do you hear me? If you do it you will break Night Star’s heart and she won’t have any reason to live because you selfishly took it away from her!

I don’t care about her! I never did! She never leaves me alone and she wants me to give her attention. I JUST WANT TO BE HUMAN AGAIN! IS IT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND THAT? YOU CLAIM TO BE MY GUIDE YET NEVER LISTENED TO MY REAL DESIRES!

Evan, it’s time you learned to accept it: your humanity is gone! But your essence, your soul is still there! You have a brand new start to life and a peaceful existence! Look at Night Star, she sleeps peacefully around your eggs, sharing her body heat and waiting for the day they emerge from their shells and they use their tiny lungs for the first time. She wants to experience the joy of being a mother and she wants to share that joy with you!

Evan’s face eased its tension and he lowered the rock. He looked at Night as her body rose and fell sequentially as she breathed softly.

If you must take your anger out, The Voice continued, please do it to Night Star, but don’t harm your children, they haven’t done anything wrong to you! They just want to meet you and express their love for you. You have a rare opportunity to begin anew without the stresses brought on by human life, you are more powerful and you have a beautiful partner who gave us children who I don’t doubt will be beautiful!

Us… You said “us”. What do you mean? W-Weren’t you me?

Huh? Hehe, Evan I think you might be overthinking this.

You showed up ever since this started and you led me here!

Please calm down, Evan.

Who are you? You are not me, you are something else, aren’t you?

...ok then. It said meekly, You would discover it anyway, before or after. Do you remember your trip back in Pán Lín ? You broke a small statue of a dragon. Do you know the story of that Statue?

The one about a young farmer who wanted his luck to change and he turned into a dragon?

Right, and do you remember what happened to him?

I remember something about monks trapping the spirit of the dragon in that statue- wait… A-are y-you that spirit? Are you that thing that turned him into a dragon?

Yes, Evan I am. I am a dragon spirit. My purpose is to bring clarity and serenity to troubled souls in need of a change of pace. I accomplish this by turning them into dragons. Magnificent, majestic creatures with a simpler existence are all some people need to live happily. When you had changed to a degree I realised your home would no longer be suitable for you to live, so I led you here to live among your kind and be one with the world around you.

Y-you led me here and made me kill for food, made me become an animal almost costing me my mind and then led me to this place? All this just so I fuck and have your kids?!

It’s not like that, please calm down you are getting ahead of yourself.

NO! I am done listening to you. Tonight I end this and I get what I’ve lost: my humanity!

Evan threw the rock above his head, once more ready to smash the eggs where they lay. His face contorted in anger as he was about to smash the eggs, while The Voice resumed his lament. For the first time, he wasn’t calm and peaceful, but shaky and nervous.

Please stop! Won’t you stop and think about what you are doing?

Evan didn’t respond. He breathed in heavily and began to throw his arm down dooming the eggs.

I WON’T LET YOU!

Evan’s life flashed before his eyes, in a split second he saw every memory he had. A presence crept along the edges of his mind. Something that was there ever since he started conversing with The Voice, but now feeling as though it was advancing further into his mind.

Suddenly Evans' memory then distorted into blurred concepts. Things he used to remember became distant. Thoughts became a jumbled mess. Soon, the dragon forgot whatever name he used to have.

New thoughts began to fill his head; thoughts of how to fly better, hunt more efficiently. His understanding of dragon customs and rules, teachings and discussions, flooded to him since he had gotten there, all of a sudden they became clear like water. He remembered his home and his mate, Night Star. He remembered a vague dwelling, something that he used to own and was totally unsuitable. But it didn’t matter: he was in the right place now.

His arms stopped mere inches away, the rock hovering precariously close to the eggs. He breathed in heavily and his claws shook nervously at what had almost transpired. Feelings of fear and confusion clouded his thoughts, but in an instant the fog lifted from his mind and he understood clarity. Tossing the rock away from the nest woke up Night Star. She looked to the male dragon with tired eyes and confusion.

‘Why you awake, is something wrong?’

He smiled as he looked her in the eyes. A deep rumble came from his chest as he softly spoke to her.

‘ Everything fine.’

He leaned in and brushed his snout against her neck; she made a deep rumbling in response to his sudden affection.

‘You different, why?’

‘I know now. I have everything I want right here.’

The dragon curled alongside Night Star, who expressed all her happiness at the sudden change of attitude. She wasn’t aware of his inner struggle nor did she care. Night accepted it and her mate smiled, knowing he will be a great father and husband. He lied next to Night Star, content with his new family.