The climb was grueling, the two brothers clinging to the rocks like gum on a sidewalk. Going straight up the cliff face using only their sheer strength was hard enough, but the heat from the sun was scorching on the desert side of the mountain. Their hands slipped a few times each, something that they wouldn't tell the other brother, and Goddard once fell a short distance before finding a solid handhold.

The terror ended when they got to a lip where the cave began. Paxton got there first and pulled Goddard up, breaking for a short time as they saw the interior of the cave for the first time.

It was an enormous cavern that was far more civilized than either of them had suspected. The vaulted ceiling had some carvings and scratches in it as though some giant toddlers had inhabited the cave. The walls were all cut with massive, cube-like cubby holes that could fit entire houses. Deeper in the cave was a larger communal area were an ancient fountain spewed water into the air and down around a pond. The floor was made from polished rock that had been chipped away in small chunks.

As they rested to take breaths, they glanced around the strange outcrop.

"That's weird," heaved Goddard between breaths.

"What?" his brother asked.

"It's all blank," Goddard observed. "No paintings, no drawings, no chisel work; just flat stone."

"What's so weird about that?"

"Even the earliest man knew how to throw crap up on a wall."

"Were you expecting Haldeen?" (A famous painter known for strong use of contrasting hues.)

Goddard spit over the cliff's edge in response.

Standing up and stretching, Paxton gazed around before heading deeper into the mountain towards the feeling. Goddard got up and followed a moment later, jogging the distance to catch up to his brother. The two entered the mountain with the light fading as they got deeper into the halls. Paxton didn't have issue with this because he could inexplicably see in the darkness, but Goddard was starting to lose all visibility.

"Hey, did you bring a lamp?" Goddard asked, hearing his voice echo insistently through the halls.

"No, I didn't," Paxton said, looking around for something that he might be able to light. "Listen, I'll go on ahead, see if I can't find something to use as a light."

"Oh no, I'm staying with you," Goddard stated, so Paxton sighed wearily.

Rearing up, Paxton rapidly punched the air in front of his brother. Goddard tried to focus on the blows, but he couldn't see well enough to track the movement.

"Hah, you can try, but I'm not stopping to check up on you," Paxton laughed.

Turning back down the large hallway, Paxton left his fumbling brother there as he went deeper into the caves. The high ceiling and wide walls gave Paxton the distinct impression that these walls were meant to contain something much mightier than humans. Even an army wouldn't have to touch the walls of the cave.

The long hallway never seemed to end, but as Paxton walked, he noticed the feeling in his stomach starting to shift direction.

Finally, Paxton sensed a turn in the hallway, so he turned and followed the path.

The sensation was getting stronger the deeper Paxton went, causing Paxton to sweat a little. He even caught himself holding the handle of his gladius without realizing it.

Paxton forced himself to calm down before a single glint of light could be seen somewhere ahead.

There was a frozen gust of air, and Paxton immediately drew his longsword as a precaution. He was so tense, it was almost unbearable.

'Calm yourself, creature,' came a female voice that Paxton couldn't pinpoint. 'I am no more a danger than the walls that sorround you. You've come far, I can tell; but you won't need your weapons to meet with me. I am in the room with the light. Please, I would like some company.'

"Who are you?" Paxton demanded.

'I am of the dragon,' said the feminine voice. 'I speak to your mind, because I cannot speak in your tongue. Please, come and meet me. I've been lonely for a long time.'

Paxton continued with his weapon drawn, his senses on high alert for any tricks.

There was another corner where a weak light just barely illuminated a corner to the hallway. Taking a step to the corner, Paxton peaked around the corner, but he wasn't prepared for what he saw.

It was a massive room that could house the entire population of Chicago. A single light beamed through a skylight and bounced around the room due to a central block of ice. It was a huge chunk that could probably take down a titan or offer a lifetime supply. The light spread to every corner of the room thanks to the refraction from the ice, but there was something inside of the ice that Paxton couldn't see very well.

'You're cute,' came the dragon's voice politely. 'Tell me, wingless angel, how is it outside?'

"It's beautiful," Paxton said, staring in awe at the minor glacier.

'Come closer, I'd like to see you.'

Paxton followed orders, approaching the chunk of ice tentatively in case something went wrong.

'Do not be afraid. This ice that I've made is the only thing that sustains me. Were it not for the extreme cold, my sickness would have killed me long ago. If I broke free, I would die within moments.'

"I'm sorry to hear that," Paxton stated, his tone heartfelt while confused. Without sheathing his sword, he approached the ice just to feel it's chill from a hundred yards out. He approached anyway, trying to stay warm in front of the pure freeze.

When Paxton got close enough, he was able to make out the form of a dragon from inside. The body was enormous, like a pair of double decker busses were magnetized and then stormed through a knife emporium. Every inch of the body was covered in some hard scale that was locked in ice, even the head which had jutting horns that extended just beyond the freeze.

'Thank you for the complement,' the dragon giggled a little.

"But, I didn't say anything?"

'Do you really think I understand your words? I am simply reading your emotions and responding with my own emotions. How they are translated in your mind is not my doing. Tell me, what are you?'

"I am Paxton Byron, the heir of Lord Byron," Paxton stated with absolute certainty.

'So, you are an angel? Then where are your wings?'

"What? No I'm a human."

'Hooman? What is a hooman?'

"Me," Paxton answered, waving his hand so that they eye could see.

'So you are wingless angels?'

"I... guess? I've never met an angel, but we could be considered wingless angels."

'What do you mean you've never met an angel? Are you a tiny Nephilim then? Perhaps a white Reaper? A hornless demon maybe, but I would be amazed how you've survived this long.'

"I am none of these things," Paxton told the dragon. "Humans are our own species and race, we are weak but have the potential for great strength. How have you never heard of humans? How long have you been in here?"

'Oh, the passage of time is a cruel jest to me. Even my natural lifespan was long enough to watch mountains crumble, yet here I am trying to prolong my life using what little magic I have left. I could have been down here long enough for a third Divine War. Tell me, who is the most prominent race in the realms?'

"Humans," Paxton said with no hint of joking.

'Are you joking? A race that I've never heard of has somehow taken over the four realms?'

"I don't know what these four realms are, but us humans have developed mighty kingdoms that span across multiple continents."

'Ha! I can tell just from your thoughts that you humans are weak. Moreso, you do not know of the original seven races. Tell me, what do you know of dragons?'

"They are fierce monsters, capable of destroying mountains and tearing the world asunder! There are a number of myths and legends that say dragons once ruled the world."

There was a long silence in the room, making Paxton think that he had somehow lost connection.

'Myths and legends, eh?' the woman's voice finally said with a note of sadness. 'I had hoped that I might not be the last, that others might have found ways to sustain themselves. I supposed the sickness was merciless in every facet of it's nature.'

"Are you okay?"

'No. That is a stupid question. I am the last dragon, stricken with plague and older than the dominant race on this realm. I haven't had a decent conversation since I entombed myself in this ice, and now the first creature I meet tells my that my race has become a story. Human, I am as far from okay as I can get. I fail to see the original point in prolonging my life when I can't even enjoy what life is supposed to be.'

"Do you wish you were dead?"

'No, that would be cowardly.'

"There is nothing cowardly about it," Paxton said wisely. "If life can be lived, then fighting death is the only thing you should be doing. But if your life is done, if there is nothing for which you live for, then accepting death can be the bravest thing you do."

'What do you know of death?' she scoffed.

"You may not believe this," Paxton said, "but I've died before. I grew up on a different world, one where magic didn't exist and where I was made to suffer constantly. It was an existence that I didn't wish to prolong, but I needed to live. I became old, and in the final moments, I had done everything that I could possibly do. I accepted death like a lover, and she brought me to this world. I do not regret my death, great dragon, I would even go so far to say that it was the best moment of my life."

'You speak the truth,' the dragon realized, the eye gazing out from the ice. 'Tell me; when you died, did it hurt?'

"Yes, it did," Paxton admitted, "and that's how I knew it was my time. A life of suffering is befit to end with a little pain."

'Then, I have a request of you, human. If you would, please: touch my horn.'

Paxton walked around the ice cube, but noticed that the horns were just a little out of his reach. Pulling his gladius out of it's sheathe, Paxton stabbed it into the ice and watched as the fractured bits healed themselves. Standing on his sword, Paxton was able to reach up and grasp the freezing tip of the dragon's horn. His fingers went numb at the touch, but Paxton held on with a hard grip.

'I see,' the dragon said as though she was learning something new. 'You're much more than a human. God must have been very desperate to make something as unique as you. I can tell this hurts, but please hold on. I have an idea.'

Paxton's hand was still freezing, but something was happening inside of the glacier. There was a light inside of the ice, illuminating the cave brightly from the other side. Paxton could see the shining from his side, and he noticed that it was getting closer. The bright light was consuming the body, and Paxton started to get a very warm sensation in the center of his body. The longer this happened, the farther the warmth spread until the freezing sensation in his hand was combating the heat from his arm.

'Thank you, Paxton Byron, heir to Lord Byron,' the dragon thanked in a kindly woman's voice. Her tone was melancholic, but there was true sincerity.

"Of course," Paxton said, glad to have helped.

The blinding light was slowly fading, until the freezing in Paxton's hand was gone completely. The light completely faded, and Paxton was able to witness strands of light flowing into his arm where he was grabbing the dragon's horn. Paxton looked into the ice to see the casing that had once housed a great dragon. It was like a cave in it's own right, with stalactites and stalagmites.

For a moment, Paxton felt a great deal of sadness. He was alone in such a large room, like a single shrimp lost in the wide ocean. It was probably how the dragon had felt all those years.

Leaping back onto the ground, the young heir felt oddly light. He couldn't explain it, but he felt as though his entire body was now filled with excess energy. Tearing the gladius from the ice, he noticed that the ice didn't heal itself this time. Just to experiment, Paxton took a swing at the ice as swiftly as he could. For a moment, nothing happened, but then there was a crackling and shifting sound from the ice. A few moments later, the minor glacier suddenly fell into itself.

'Hey,' came the dragon woman's voice, 'that was my home!'

"What?" Paxton stated, looking around for where she might have gone.

'I'm in your head, idiot.'

"WHAT?!" Paxton screamed, his voice cracking from pressure. "What the hell, I didn't agree to that!"

'Oh, hush, there's something I want to do, but I need your body to do it.'

"NO," Paxton shouted to himself, "get out of my head right now!"

'Too late,' the woman snickered from inside of Paxton's mind. 'You should know that us dragons are very impulsive. This way, I can turn you into a dragon.'

Paxton was speechless, he wasn't even sure if he was just thinking these thoughts or whether they were actually coming from the dragon. What's more, the dragon said that it was going to turn HIM into a dragon. He didn't want to be a dragon, he wanted to remain human.

'Don't worry about the form change,' the dragon read his thoughts, 'dragons have multiple forms we can take. The most compact one is the same shape as you humans. There are things that you do not know, human, but I will make certain that you are not taken by suprise.'

"What the hell, I thought you were dying!" Paxton breathed with a sigh of relief.

'I AM dead,' the woman noted with little concern, 'my body has been completely turned into magic which I put into your body.'

"I have ice magic now?"

'I fear I've made a huge mistake,' the voice said refretfully. 'No, MY magic is not YOUR magic. I've put my magical energy into your body, but your system will process it the way you always have. It will not change anything but the power at your disposal.'

"Hey, don't get all snooty with me," Paxton chastised. "You did this, not me; and besides, I'm only nine years old. I don't know anything about magic except some ways to use it."

'Ugh, I'll have to teach you, then. Be happy, Paxton Byron, you have the best magic user in the world as your teacher.'

"I'm thrilled," Paxton said humorlessly. "I need to go back and get my brother, I left him in the halls alone."

'Good, I want to see something other than this room. Trapped in here for ages, I want to know how things are in the world.'

Paxton started the walk back, but the dragon's voice came once again to interrupt his thoughts.

'Hey, did you know that you have two types of magic here?'

"What?"

'Yeah, I can feel some bright sort of magic, but there's a lot of really dark magic, too. It's like a void right next to a star.'