We quickly change into more formal uniforms. Violet looks absolutely stunning in hers, of course. It highlights her curves perfectly, and the silver goes really well with her hair color. Our squad’s symbol – an eight pointed star – rests nicely on her chest.

  Moxie seems to have some trouble with her sleeves and skirt, they are a bit too long. It makes her look quite ridiculous as she tries to walk without tripping. I manage to hold back my urge to laugh, but only barely.

  Stephen and Liv look nice too. But Stephen’s seems to be quite tight around the arms. I guess they had issues making a uniform because of how absurdly buff he is. I can't imagine there are many cadets that have so much muscle right off the bat.

  “Alright, are we all ready?” Stephen says, looking around at our squadron. “Let's get ourselves some dragons.”

  “Hell yeah!” Liv says, taking the lead out of the door. She seems even more energetic than usual. Which I can understand, considering we are about to get our dragons. Thus unlocking untold power.

  This time, we do not let Liv try any shortcuts. As we walk through the halls of the academy, many other cadets turn to look at. Some give us waves and slight bows. But most of all, people stare at Violet, and not in a nice way. As we pass it feels like the air fills with a very murder-y energy.

  I look at Violet and she gives me a mean look. Otherwise it seems she is just completely ignoring everyone else. She must have gotten used to it.

  We arrive at the central annex and find a lot of people gathered. Some are in dragon guard armor, but there are also many in different formal robes. They must be professors, not all of which are guards themselves.

  An armored guy with black hair walks up to us. He glares intensely at Violet for a few seconds, but then seems to correct himself. “Greetings, cadets of Asteria Squadron. I am Professor Dirge, the advisor for all of the Asteria Squadrons. Lucky you are, I am a truly epic advisor. We are ranked fifth for living squadrons, so you guys might even make it to forty!” He laughs deeply.

  An armored and very muscly woman with brown hair walks up and slaps him on the shoulder. “Francis, stop bragging. You’ll scare the new cadets away if you start talking about them dying.” She turns to us, “If you kids ever want to join the Malei squadron, you're welcome to. Francis here can be a real braggard, so I am sure you will run to be with me before too long.” The five of us just watch their exchange, unsure if we should say anything in response.

  “Florence, stop trying to poach my new cadets!” He shoos her away and she departs. “Sorry about her, she can be quite annoying at times. You know how wives can be. Now, time for your bonding ceremony. Please follow me, don't get lost in the crowd.”

  We follow Professor Dirge and he leads us down a side hallway. Several others trail behind us to come observe the ceremony. The rest of my squadmates seem quite nervous. Even Violet is lightly tapping her finger on her thigh. It's quite cute.

  We arrive at a large door and I can feel an immense energy on the other side. Like the aether that surrounds us, but far denser.

  “Cadets, at attention!” Professor Dirge commands. We all assume our stances quickly, the procedure already drilled in by the normal schooling system. Moxie looks quite ridiculous as her sleeve drapes and covers part of her face. But everyone seems resolved, and a bit excited despite the anxiety.

  “You young cadets have been given a great honor. But understand this: bonding a dragon comes at a cost. The bond is not an easy thing, and you best steel your bodies and minds. Dragons are not humans, and you should not expect them to obey human standards. Of course, that likely won't be much of a concern when they are young, but as they age it can cause trouble sometimes.” He clears his throat. “I won't ask if you wish to quit now, that would be a great disrespect to your courage in taking up this mantle. Even if you do, it's far too late. Now, first up, Cadet Ingram.”

  Stephen steps forward, his face pale. “Yessir!” Stephen walks up to the door calmly and it opens just a bit, and he goes inside. Then it closes with a crash behind him.

  The rest of us just stand, we can do nothing but wait for our turn.

  After about fifteen minutes, Professor Dirge calls Moxie forward. She walks forward with confidence, and doesn't even trip on her skirt. She enters the door and it closes behind her.

  Twenty minutes later, it is Liv’s turn. She strides up to the door, somehow preserving some of her usual bluster.

  After another ten minutes, it is finally my turn. I look back at Violet and she seems quite comfortable, and stunning as always. I enter the room and the door slams shut behind me.

  The room is massive. It has an arched ceiling and columns to support it. Covering every surface are intricate carvings depictings various events no doubt. I recognize a few, like the heroes’ valiant final battle against a broodmother. But there are far more that I do not recognize.

  Boy, are you worthy? If you wish to prove so, step forward.

  I jump at the voice that is projected right into my very soul. I look around for the source and my eyes can't find it.

  I take a single step forward. When there is no other response, I take two more forward.

  Good. Now, die.

  I feel an energy off to my right side and dodge, moments later a giant lance of light scorches the spot where I was standing. I frantically look around, trying to spot any other attacks.

  Very well. You are worthy.

  At the far end of the room, a dragon appears. It is large. Massive even. It is about one hundred meters long, and its scales are a black color, almost like they have started to lose their power.

  It is currently laying on a giant pile of what appears to be some form of red aetherium. Its eyes are closed and its wings tucked away. I focus on the dragon and am overwhelmed by the energy that radiates off of them. Reality itself seems to bend around them. It must be bending spacetime to reduce gravity, so that it does not collapse under its own weight in this gravity.

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  You may approach.

  I walk forward until I am about a dozen meters away from the dragon. I have heard of such legendary beasts, elder dragons. The rulers of all current dragons, and the rightful inhabitants of the aether. It is rumored that they were dragons bonded to the legendary heroes and somehow managed to survive the final battle. Only three are known to exist in the entire universe. Of those, only one is known to be in human space.

  Kneel.

  I drop to my knees.

  Boy, why do you wish to gain this power?

  I consider my answer for a few seconds. This must be some sort of test.

  “To defeat all of the monsters and save all living beings from their relentless slaughter.” I answered confidently.

  Hmm, interesting.

  The dragon raises its head and opens its eyes, an obviously herculean effort for such a large body. They bring their snout towards me until it is basically right in my face. Their deep red eyes stare into my own, seemingly peering at my very soul. Their breath is hot on my face.

  Boy, are you afraid?

  “Yes.” I answer honestly.

  What is it that you most desire? Reach deeply, find that which rests at the very core of your soul.

  What do I want? Eradication of monsters for sure. But there must be something beyond that. Power is obviously one, but that's only in service to monster eradication. Who would I be without the monsters?

  “I want peace. For people to not be slaughtered, unable to defend themselves. I wish to be able to travel, to enjoy the universe without watching for monsters behind every corner. Ideally, I would have a band of friends along with me as well, and we could enjoy the universe together.”

  This desire may be attainable, but the cost will be great. Are you willing to pay the price of this desire? Are you willing to put in the effort to make this desire into reality? Will you lay down your life in service of allowing other people to achieve what you desire, knowing that you will likely not get it yourself? That is the cost of this power. Be afraid, be uncertain. But you must decide whether what you desire is worth the cost.

  “I will give everything. No matter the cost, I shall make this desire into reality. Even if it isn't for my own benefit, I will still persevere.”

  Your courage has been seen. The dragon moves forward and presses the tip of its snout against my chest. Immediately, I collapse onto the floor and start writing pain. It feels like my entire body is on fire. No, it's being torn apart, piece by piece and then stitched back together at a cellular level. Then torn again.

  I feel a strange energy mingling in my chest. It seems to be consuming everything I am from the inside. Devouring my very essence, my very soul.

  I feel something start to swell within me. Another presence. It is strange. Almost as though it is healing me, and becoming a part of me in the process.

  After an unknowable amount of time the pain subsides and my sensations return to me. My entire body hurts, like I was just hit with a truck and then put back together, only to be hit once again.

  But somehow, it feels good.

  I feel stronger. More able. Like anything is possible.

  Rise, honored kin. The elder says. I rise up onto my feet, as I rise my clothes crumple off me, having been burnt to ashes by whatever the fuck just happened to me. You have been remade. Accept this honor with a heavy heart, for your journey has only just begun. Should anything hesitate to stand in your path, do not hesitate and cut it down without any mercy. This is the legacy that you must uphold. This is what it means to be a dragonkin.

  I bow to the great dragon, and I swear they smile. They back away and rest their head back on their pile.

  In honor of your courage, accept this reward. It is the most I can give you to prepare for your journey. There is a clattering from the dragon’s side as a big chunk of its scales are ripped off. They float into the air in front of me, forming a large black cloud. It is best if you do not resist. Step forward.

  I step forward into the cloud. Immediately they start pressing onto my body and I feel my skin start to warm up. Then suddenly it starts burning. I scream. The scales seem to move around my body. Assessing me for something.

  After a few seconds, they start to melt mold around my body. Moments later, they solidify and the heat disappears. I open my eyes and look down to find a set of armor covering my body. Silver armor. The armor of a Dragon Guard. But somehow, it feels different than the normal armor. It might just be the lighting, but it seems shinier than normal. Oh well, I am sure it's just my imagination.

  May this skin treat you well, boy. You will find that it is quite durable and it has much room to grow as you do. It is of the highest quality, considering it comes from my own armor. Now, for one final thing. The energy in the room intensifies for an instant, the pressure is a lot, but it’s not unbearable. I think the armor is somehow doing its job.

  When the energy subsides there is an egg in front of me. It is a lovely sky blue color, like Violet’s eyes. Though I don't think they have any relation to each other.

  Place your hand upon the egg and become one.

  Doing as the dragon says, I place my hand on the egg. Immediately I feel a sucking sensation like when entering virtual reality. But this is different, more intense somehow. The sensation passes and then I feel a strange presence growing in my mind. Almost as if something else is trying to do something.

  Just then, the egg starts to glow and heat up. I try to take my hand away, but it seems to be stuck. The egg glows brighter and brighter, and the presence continues to grow.

  The egg cracks.

  The shell disintegrates and all that is left is a tiny dragon. Its silver scales are shiny and look brand new, unlike Tien’s dragon or the Elder, they show no signs of wear. Which makes sense, it was just hatched. It is perhaps fifty centimeters in length, and has stubs where you would expect wings.

  It sneezes, and then with a great deal of effort manages to stand up on its tiny legs. It lifts its head to look at me and its yellow eyes meet mine.

  Suddenly, the presence in my mind seems to stabilize and I feel warm. I feel right, almost as though I am whole. It's like I am just coming to life for the first time. A light and bubbly voice speaks in my head, or rather my soul.

  Who are you?

  Next Chapter: The Bond

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