Rain pounded the walls of the cave, filling the chamber with a consistent white noise. A fire burned nearby, keeping things warm. If only I had something to rest my head on, Enzo thought, as he slowly regained consciousness. He was still groggy, but he definitely didn’t remember being this far away from the back of the cave. Talwen rested near him, her breathing slow and steady and the egg sat in the middle of a smoldering fire. His left hand burned where her muzzle touched it.

The hell is this? A circular crest, with flowing lava as its main focal point, had been burned into his skin. He sat upright abruptly and stared at the back of his hand. Heat radiated from the spot, and the lines grew slowly darker while he watched. The motion attracted Talwen’s attention, and she opened an eye and looked at him.

“You have finally woken up,” she said. “I was worried you would not make it. Tell me what happened.”

Enzo looked away from his hand and met Talwen’s eyes.

“You were still gone when the storm hit,” he explained. “I had to do something. When the wind started, the fire nearly went out. I figured out how to control the shape though, and turned it into a vortex around the egg.” He looked at the fire in front of them and repeated the feat. “It was working pretty well against the wind, but when the downpour started, too much water was coming in. I heated the air in the cave to evaporate the water, but the strain to keep that up was enormous.”

“Why didn’t you just move the egg away from the entrance?” Talwen questioned patiently. “You could have set the egg down here and just moved the flames.”

Well that’s pretty obvious now that she says it. Why didn’t I just do that? Hell, I could’ve moved the egg into the lower room and been completely safe. Enzo looked to the floor.

“I didn’t think of that,” he responded quietly, ashamed.

“What you did was dangerous. Fire magic will burn through your energy until there is nothing left. It is greedy. It is hungry. I told you this,” Talwen admonished. “You are lucky I arrived when I did. Otherwise, the magic would have burned through all of your energy, then begun breaking down your muscles and organs. You would be consumed from within until there was nothing but a skeletal husk left. You would be dead.”

Enzo didn’t know what to say. If you hadn’t been gone so long, it wouldn’t have gotten to this point. I’m not exactly knowledgeable about this stuff. You gave me a task and I did it.

“Still, your control of the form of the fire is surprisingly strong. Controlling the temperature of a cave this size is impressive, especially for one with as little training as you,” she continued. “You have talent and determination. Few would have held strong and maintained the egg. You have my gratitude.”

The dragon stared directly into his eyes as she spoke. Her conviction and sincerity shocked Enzo.

“I just did what I said I’d do. Nothing more, nothing less really,” he said, looking away from her. “Besides, like you said, it was stupid and I could’ve died.”

It was not stupid. She roared, her voice shaking him to his core. The rain didn’t dare make a sound. Enzo felt as though the mountain itself was going to collapse upon him.

When she’s serious like this, I can’t even move… She could tear the world apart with her voice.

After a moment, she continued in her usual low rumble. The sound of the rain returned, and Enzo felt he could breathe again.

“Actions are important. You have no reason to protect my egg. You have no reason to have watched over it through the night. You could have snuck off in the night with it, and sold it to any number of vile humans while I was hunting,” she stated. “You did none of these things. You have the powers of a dragon. You have proven you have virtue beyond that of a common human. You are far more than that. You may not have the form, but you have the spirit of a dragon.”

Enzo smirked to himself and shook his head. Don’t know about all that virtue, you kind of threatened to hunt me down and eat me if I didn’t look after the egg. S’pose it doesn’t hurt to let you think it was a choice I consciously made though.

“After your actions tonight, I have decided to teach you how to truly master your Fire Affinity. Control is but the first step, I can teach you techniques that can raze your enemies to the ground. I can show you how to melt mountains, and even control the weather,” she continued. “While you have raw talent, you’ve also seen the danger associated with this path. Mistakes can and will kill. Fire is both beautiful and belligerent. It is powerful and potent. For all the good you can do with this power, you can also be corrupted.”

Enzo looked down at his hands. The crest pulsed warmly, the dark lines etched into his skin deepening until they were as dark as charcoal.

“So, is that what this is about then?” He asked, gesturing to the crest on his hand.

“Yes. It is the mark of my clan, and it is given to those who are recognized as members through means other than birth,” Talwen explained.

I never really asked for this. I was just looking for somewhere to sleep a day ago, and now I’ve been thrust into this clan without any knowledge about it. I want to learn more about what this Affinity can do, but I didn’t sign up to be a dragon. I don’t even know any humans. I don’t know how I got here, or even where we are.

“It is a blessing, and will afford you access to much greater power and influence in time,” she continued. “For now, just know that you are a Geschmolzen Red. You are a human with both a Fire Affinity and a Dragon Blessing. You will be unlike any other human you meet.”

Seems like that was already a guarantee. Nothing says friendly, regular guy like being raised by a dragon in the wilderness.