Drifting Embers
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[MGM]: 59 - Choices We Make
🕑 Added 2025-03-11 14:30:03 +0000 UTCI dreamed of ocean waves and a call from beyond. Then, I woke up.
My eyes fluttered open to the endless blue stretching into the horizon and the breeze blowing across the ocean. It took me a moment to realize I wasn’t in my house—and that I was alone. I sat up abruptly and looked around.
I was on a small island, strangely covered in lush greenery instead of sand. Tall trees—though slightly bent—rose overhead, their sparse canopies adorned with alien produce. I had never seen such trees before, and it took effort to tear my gaze away.
Everywhere I looked, the ocean greeted me.
I took a few calming breaths, tasting the salt on my tongue. Strangely, the sharpness reminded me of food—something I had seen little of lately—and my stomach ached with hunger.
Odd, I thought. I shouldn’t be feeling hunger at all.
Though the land beneath me was little more than an earthen crest floating in the middle of nowhere, I made sure to survey it thoroughly. I checked beneath the rocks and over the leaves—and found nothing.
How had I ended up here? Where was everyone else? And who was responsible for my predicament? I had questions, but few answers.
Looking up at the sky, I saw the sun had risen to its peak, its clear, unobstructed rays falling upon me. It had been midnight when I had arrived at my father’s home, yet now it was midday. Unless days or weeks had passed, I likely wasn’t far from home.
"You're overthinking it again."
I nearly jumped out of my skin, my heartbeat spiking into an erratic rhythm. Spinning around, I saw a man standing near the edge of the island, his feet touching the water.
He didn’t look up. He didn’t look at me. Instead, he stared into the ocean’s depths, eyes unblinking. I frowned.
"How did I get here?" I asked.
"You didn't get anywhere," the man replied. He still didn’t lift his head to look at me. My frown deepened.
The last thing I remembered was Pyra helping me to bed—then, everything went blank. Though my condition had been less than ideal, I wasn’t so delicate as to require her assistance. I had refrained from refusing her help, unsure whether she would admonish me—healers, in my experience, were a cranky lot when it came to their patients.
Had this man been responsible for my sudden and unsuspecting blackout? I wouldn’t rule out the possibility.
"Who are you?" I asked, hoping I didn’t sound as irate as I felt.
"That’s a difficult question to answer," the man said. "Honestly, I think it would be more appropriate to ask, 'Who am I?'"
"That’s..." I hesitated, unsure how to respond. That didn't make any sense.
The man chuckled, finally lifting his head and turning toward me. He had dark, cropped hair and deep blue—nearly black—eyes. I wouldn’t have noticed the difference if we hadn’t been standing beneath the open sky with such clear lighting. He wore a gray tunic with a black overcoat and loose black pants. His hands were clasped behind his back.
"The air is pleasant here, though a bit too salty for my taste," he commented, stepping closer.
A sudden breeze, carried by the ocean currents, ruffled the loose strands of my hair, making me feel strangely at ease. I pursed my lips, thoughtful, then said, "I can tell you have something to say. You wouldn’t have brought me here otherwise."
The man shook his head. "For the last time," he said, "I didn’t bring you anywhere."
His words were calm, and he seemed sincere enough, but I kept my doubts to myself and gave a terse nod. He didn’t look as if he believed me, but he made no comment. I waited.
A calm silence stretched between us, minutes passing as we stood amid the refreshing breeze, listening to the song of the ocean. Finally, the man sighed and spoke.
"Did you know dragons are capable of devouring raw mana?"
His question was strange—an unexpected shift in direction. I frowned in confusion before shaking my head. "I don’t know much about dragons at all."
He smiled, locking eyes with me. "And yet, you're about to become one yourself," he said.
I wasn’t surprised that he knew. If he had somehow managed to bring me all the way here, then of course he would know. The question was: how much did he know?
"Are you going to teach me how to be a dragon, then?" I asked, though I couldn’t quite keep the levity out of my tone.
"No," he replied, shaking his head. "No, I'm here to offer you a choice."
"A choice?" I raised a brow.
"Yes," he nodded. "You see, being a human on the verge of transformation does afford you a few neat choices. And I'm here to help you understand them."
I perked up. I recalled the dragon’s words—the choice I would have to make once I arrived at the crossroads. I just hadn’t expected it to appear in such a strange manner.
That didn’t, however, change the fact that I knew little to nothing about this man. I had spoken carefully, choosing my words so as not to reveal too much, but I wasn’t sure whether he was truly fishing for information. In fact, that made little sense to me.
If the man really sought knowledge, then he would have had a better shot at torturing it out of me. And the biggest, most glaring issue remained: how had he gotten past Amara and the others to bring me here?
I was sure that if I asked about my companions, I would receive the same answer as before, so I kept quiet.
"Well then, what is it?" I probed.
The man didn’t answer my inquiry. Instead, he shifted his gaze away from me, turning to observe the ocean waves that were beginning to rise. I followed his line of sight and found that the waves had grown higher than anything I had ever witnessed in my life. Though this wasn’t my first time visiting the ocean, it was certainly my first... diverse encounter.
I watched and waited.
"There’s so much of humanity within the ocean—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that we, as humans, imitate nature."
His sudden words pulled my attention back to him, but he still wasn’t looking at me.
"The ocean is like the mind—calm, silent, peaceful, until stirred. But when forces beyond its control sway it, it grows chaotic, tumultuous. Anxious."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "I find it fascinating that even the slightest of changes can set things into motion—turn the wheels of destiny and bring both order and chaos alike. I suppose that, too, is human nature."
"You are talking in circles, just get to the point," I said, irritated.
The man finally shifted his gaze to me, eyes studying me like he was considering something. "Do you understand the burden you bear?"
"Maybe if you would clear it up for me."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Ah, I miss those days," he muttered, taking a deep breath.
I was starting to realize he might actually know about my Origin, but his cryptic way of speaking only made me more irritated. Though before I could snap at him, he spoke again.
"Right," he said. "Since I have come to offer you choices, I think we should get on with it."
Before I could react, the world around us darkened. My breath hitched as I looked up, finding the sun gone. In its place was a crimson moon, burning like the eye of a demonic entity. A weight settled on my chest. My heart picked up its pace, and I felt my limbs grow cold.
"Make your choice, human," the man spoke again, drawing my attention back to him. "Do you wish to become a dragon, or remain a human with a dragon's blessing? Of course, you also have the choice to seek a middle ground. Should you desire, you will be turned into a half-breed."
"What's the difference?" I asked, my voice steady despite the heaviness of the atmosphere.
He exhaled, almost like he found the question tedious. "I thought I had made them self-explanatory," he muttered, shaking his head. "Anyway. First choice: you give up your humanity and embrace the dragon within you. Second choice: you remain as you are but receive a dragon’s blessing, which usually manifests as a talent and some attribute bonus." He paused, looking at me. Waiting.
"And the third?" I pressed.
"To become both," he said. "You remain a human, but also a dragon—a halfling, if you will. This means you don't receive single powerful talent, but instead, multiple smaller ones. Along with a dragon's physique."
I fell silent, contemplating the options.
Then, a thought struck me.
"What do you think suits me the best?" I asked.
The man raised a brow, apparently surprised that I would ask for his opinion. Then, after a moment, he smiled slightly.
"I would suggest you don’t give up on your identity," he said. "Becoming a dragon may seem like the favorable choice—and in many ways, it is—but there is no harm in retaining an aspect of yourself that you have carried your whole life."
He looked at me, his voice calm but firm. "Don’t forsake one thing for another just because it seems grander. That’s my advice to you."
I blinked, tilting my head slightly, surprised and thoughtful. Then, slowly, I smiled.
"I guess I’ve made my choice."
A/N: This was chapter was supposed to come out yesterday, but I got caught up and couldn't finish it. Anyway, enjoy.
