text: Each time I stepped forward, It felt like I was falling. Into the depths of those black eyes, which seemed to know the past, the future, and present. The suddenly shifting scenery before me, the rush of blood seeping into my mind. It terrified me. Sand, it was just shifting into endless dunes of sand which slowed down my run. I was running yet I didn't know from what. No matter where my petrified gaze landed, there was only the endless grey desert of ash and fire. While I hurried away from the falling debris of the burning houses of the small town, we had lived in. In stories, this sight was only foretold as the land beyond, where no man dared to venture, I was the one who ran through it all while urging my sister to follow even if she complained that she could no longer run. I wondered if it was like that for the others, who lived beyond the barriers with mages who had spent their whole lives protecting the kingdom's walls. Where land only prospered and no children saw the death beyond them. That was the world that did not belong to us, to the simple townsfolk in the outer lands. Where only flames seemed to follow as if endless tongues of death. Yes, No longer did soldiers die in wars. Just the tamed beasts which took flight above our heads echoing their piercing and ringing growling breaths. Which echoes through the lands as if the endless streaks of lightning hitting the ground. Some adored them, some feared them, and us, the simple folk. We looked at them as beast used as tamed dogs for human's own desires. A show of wealth and power making us stumble into the never-ending sorrow. Then, the darkness fell upon us followed by a swirl of flames coming from the sky and all I could do was watch everything get burned before me as it swallowed my little sister just like our parents years before. The same view of the grey sand reflecting the red of the flames. It almost resembled those beautiful sunsets we used to watch together; the memory was like a flicker of hope for my mind to escape the terrors to the time before when the world was still peaceful. When our world was still something we knew and gods still felt like sparing us. And now, those peaceful days seemed to have slowly seeped through my fingers as if sand while screams of fear echoed around me into the endless sky and the two beasts battling each other with their boiling clashing breaths. I felt alone. In this flaming desert of ash which seemed to have spared me. Even if I sat there begging to be killed, it didn't take me. Was it even worth running anymore? From those large bodies as if mountains which slowly moved among the mist and clouds. Their shadows covering me entirely. It was dark, even if the sun was still hours from setting. Yet I didn't want to look down, I knew she wasn't there anymore. I knew my sister was long gone. A roar rang in my ears, a horrid depth filled daggering shriek of one of the bodies above me. It was falling. If not, the flames that meant to swallow me it would be the body that crushed me. As it got closer, I saw its black obsidian scales glitter in the sun. Which seemed to reflect the deaths of the people it had caused with its flames. If not for the ash that covered me, my hair would have been the same color as those scales. If not the swollen of my eyes, I would have opened them wider as the fear finally struck me. Yet my body did not shake, I was paralyzed in place still holding onto my sister's coal-black body which long ago had cooled from the powerful gust of the wind that blew sand into my barley opened eyes as well as the sorrowful sight of the rain which didn't seem to end this never-ending wild blaze. I closed my eyes. It was time. Now I too will join the rest of the people who lived in this small village until a moment of their encounter with the beasts in the sky. Yet all there was, was a light gust of wind in my face, warm and somehow soft followed by a light thud. I blinked at the sight of a large wall before me, it's side slowly moving up and down. It was still breathing, this large blood-curdling monster whose wings had covered the sun as well as the view from the other winged beast in the sky. Another one of those creatures which was covered in blinding golden scales, a beauty too common in these terrifying things. These things humans had called dragons. The golden scaled winged beast had roared out the deathly triumph echoing through the emptiness. No one was around to hear its battle cry, no one would even be there to greet the beast which with a swing of its wings turned back towards one of the kingdoms that had owned it. It was returning back where it will be locked away until the time of the next game of war the kings played for land and fortune. Establishing a simple play of power that they owned. I wonder if I had the voice for this I would have screamed? I wonder if I would have had the energy to cry more would have, I cried? If I would have had a weapon would have, I had the bravery to walk up closer to this breathing body in front of me and slashed it sides till its blood was the one that extinguished the flames which burned the ruins of the town behind me. I stayed there for days, just sitting and mourning my family, my mother, my sister, my father until the very moment I had blacked out. I didn't know when was morning or night, it felt like I was trapped in a dark cave of my own mind as the metallic smell of blood turned to the stench of rotten flesh that had covered me. The smell of death which the large black scaly body carried with it as well. I felt its breath. Which resembled a light warmth filled spring wind, one could only laugh at. This monster which had burned the town, and killed of my family was the one that now comforted me with its pained breath. It was too now dying in front of me. It will die just like me, abandoned by the rest. I turned my gaze towards the darkness, my shaky legs still struggling to sand. I crawled closer to the beast before me. And slowly traced my hand through its large scaly side that was covered in wounds and blood. This once majestic beast was now nothing but a sacrifice, it was a stepping stone for the rich to be used to take control of the lands. While simple folk had sold their souls to be just a bit closer to safety. My hand trembled once it reached one of the scars which seemed like it was made by man not the beast of its own kin. This thing was nothing compared to the stories elders had spoken of in the tales of old which I listened with wide-open eyes, indulge in those mystic tales of faraway lands. About majestic fire breathing creatures in which presents all life prospered, the godly figures that stared down at humans with eyes filled with knowledge. Creatures that shared history with humans like ourselves. Beings which kin only was forced to live out their lives under a human's command. Passed down generation from generation, they were no longer the creatures people worshiped for creating rivers and lands. The human kingdoms had hunted the last of their proud kin down long before humans had found a way to make the godly figures obey. Yet stories were still told among the simple folk, that they used to be like gods who breathed life into the known world. I still wonder if we could even complain about this cursed world, we brought upon ourselves, who no longer remembered the time before the kings decided to steal the dragon's young and tame them with dark magic. Taking away their consciousness and locking them in a lifeless state of a pet to only obey the needs of the high standing nobles, who created a game of war beyond their kingdoms. Sending the sky beasts to fight each other. That game now people had called war which took place in the outer lands beyond the kingdom's walls. Where only the simple folk who didn't share the noble's blood perished with the beasts. I squinted at the sudden movement of the dragon's wing above me. The bright sunlight stung my baggy, red eyes which didn't seem to heal from my endless wailing. The dragon's body shook as the last breath's escaped its lungs from which more blood flowed out as if rivers. There's nothing I could have done and I didn't feel like I wanted to, I just wanted to watch it quickly die and perish before my eyes. I wanted it dead for all it had done even if I knew this thing wasn't at fault but the people. The high nobles who controlled it and all I could was put all my hatred towards this dying beast instead. I slowly traced my furrowed gaze along its bleeding long neck covered in large spikes leading up to horns that almost resembled a crown on its head. I guess, it wasn't the humans that had supposed to rule the lands and skies it was these creatures that were already born with their crowns from the beginning. It wasn't us. Not the nobles who thought all power was theirs to control. That is why the land was so sickening to look at. We, ourselves ruined everything that was once filled with life and magic. But in the end, we all too were taking part in this, even if our reason was just to survive in this endless torture. I exhaled sharply with pain swelling in my chest, I could barely move my head up at the beast which was supposed to strike fear and hatred into my heart with just the sound of its rumble but now looking at it I could only see the same lifelessness in it just as the bodies I held in my hold not too long ago. I couldn't look away, even after my vision became darker my soul was still filled with hatred, my thoughts cursed it and still I couldn't help but feel sorrowful for this beast which was used as a tool for wars only to be thrown away to die alone after the war. Leaving only bones behind in the desert of ash turning to nothing but grey sand that buried all the burned land from its own flames. It was as if it had made its own grave to die in after the battle. It was strange I survived and watched it die near me. This beast, which had slowly opened its eyes to look back at me. It was its gaze which struck my soul the most: eyes like voids, swirling as a universe enchanting my mind, eyes that reflected my own. Through them, it was as if I could see its memories, the life that led up to this moment. I wasn't sure if whatever I saw was mine or the dragons as our minds had merged in one. Strangely it was a feeling I had felt before. A rush of swirling magic in my mind taking me in a trance, A vague swirl of thoughts which I could only see in the dark maze of the creature's eyes. They almost seemed like portals to another world. "in..." Someone's voice spoke up from behind me. "Quinn!" The same voice called out my name. It was my mother's voice. Filled with warmth and love just like I had remembered from the past. I turned my head. All the darkness in my eyes fading as if the trance I was in was lifted as the women cupped my face with enough force to make my numb mind feel the pain. While her worried, anger-filled gaze looked over my pale completion. "I told you to not look at their eyes!" She scolded me again. Then she made me stand up and brushed off my pants which were covered in dust as I was once again sitting on the ground near the stalls which were full of those strange creatures. Her voice that brought me back from this nightmare had made me tremble in fear from which I burst into tears while being held in her warm embrace as she calmed me down with hushed murmurs in my ear. It repeated over and over in my head. The fires, the burning, the deaths, the smell of rotten flesh. It still lingered in the back of my mind like a slowly disappearing thought which made me grab onto my mother more strongly as if that will erase the nightmares I had seen in the dragon's eyes. Not wanting to return back to that place, I couldn't have thought of. The place that had taken me away from the comfort of the small shack. "Never look at their eyes..." The woman repeated as she patted my head softly "Their dangerous when they are just born, makes you see things you shouldn't." My mother kept her voice soft yet stern. She was angry yet I couldn't tell why. I looked around our old home, it was dark and silent while my father gathered the lizard-like creatures into bags and carried them out, one by one throwing them into the cart as if they were nothing but garbage. I squeezed my mother's hand, they seemed like the things from the strange vision like-dream I had just a moment ago get much smaller, more vulnerable yet that power I felt still reflected in their eyes. And all the woman did was shuffle my black hair with a small smile on her face like this was something worth celebrating. Only after I saw the nobles taking out a bag of golden coins, I realized this was what brought food upon our table. Selling these creatures to nobles was my parent's job. My mother moved me out of the way so that my father could take the rest of these small creatures, with soft scaly skin. He grabbed the black dragon's young which I had been in front of all morning. Looking at its black void like eyes. Which seemed to have shown the power of their kin which still hadn't been dulled by the magic humans used on them. In this strange time where I felt like a stranger with no sister and my mother's still young face as well as my father who was working with these creatures. It almost felt like I was back in time and we were making the same mistake once again. As we were the ones hatching and selling these creature's young. Here I was just a child who only wanted to run and stop his father from shoving at least one of them into the bag while it too struggled to escape. The dragon's shriek rang in my ears which my mother covered with her hands. She squeezed them too hard. It pained me making me cry out in pain. Yet I could feel it it was not a cry from the pain she caused me. But from the fear, the fear of the future which the dragon showed me. I was still too young to really understand what that all meant. Was it a future, or just a fracture of a path the future could take? Or was it a chance to change it all or just a curse to repeat the same life over and over again to pay for our sins we had committed to the god's kin? To that, all I could do was cry out in fear and sorrow. My mind yelling and my body trembling as I still recalled its fear in the far future as well as my own. "Not that one..." I tried to push my mother away that held me. I was a child. Still living my life with my parents not knowing of the world beyond which the creature showed me. "Not that one!" I shouted once again as I escaped my mother hold and ran to my father who carried the bag into the cart. This was the last one the nobles paid for. Not nobles... knights, this one was heading right to the capital. Still struggling in the hold of my father that looked at me with an apologetic expression. He knew I cared for this one. Yet he still gave it away. I ran after the cart screamed at it with pain in my throat. I couldn't keep up and only fell onto the dirt path leading to the far-off walls covered by the magical barriers hiding away the city from the town's folk. I cried. I couldn't help but cry at the unknown. At the vague vision which wasn't really a dream but more like a disappearing memory in the back of my mind. A vague glimpse of the future. My own, and the dragon's. Our meeting and our parting. As well as the death that will follow with it, it was truly a future I will not wait for.