A Scale of Sapphire

Aiden's POV

An endless expanse and a starry sky, here I was again. The nightmares had been getting more frequent, but this was the first time I’d had them twice in a row. It was probably the stress, honestly I couldn’t decide whether this was worse or better than the reality I was now living. I took a few deep breaths, centering myself, and waited for the sun to rise.

It was a bit slower than last time, that was good, it left me with more time to prepare. Since I was here anyways, I was hoping I might see that silver light again, in greater force this time. As the first rays of dawn began to peek over the horizon, I took a deep breath, and focused inwards. Thinking of ice and snow and deep blue oceans reflecting the light of a full moon. My skin began to cool. Frost danced across my skin, and it took on a hypothermic blue tint.

I looked back towards the horizon, the sun had already turned towards me, it would be here in a matter of minutes. I doubted I could snuff it out, but maybe I could hold it off for a while. Maybe. As the sun’s painful fire began to flicker along my skin, I projected all those inner thoughts out into the world.

Silver and blue flashed together in unison.

Moonlight, just as bright and piercing as the light of the sun erupted from within me, and all I could do was scream. Not from pain this time, but with joy, fury, and near manic pleasure. The stars returned to the sky, and for now at least, my dream was once again a cool winter’s night. For months now, I'd go to sleep dreading what I'd find in my dreams, praying that I wouldn't end up back here. I'd curl up, shaking, and wait for it to end.

This time though, the sun was cowering away from me. Like a cornered animal, it lashed out, tendrils of plasma flicking off its surface to lash against me, but the ice covering my body meant I hardly even noticed them at all. Everything it had done to me, I returned to it in spades. Screw holding it back, I felt powerful, invincible even! I’d do whatever it took to put it out, to kill it, and then I’d never be burned again. Sizzles and pops filled the air as frost began to take hold on the sun’s surface, and my scream grew louder.

 Eventually though, I ran out of breath. My voice trailed off into nothing, and the sun was still there. My light and energy faded, and the sun’s light grew brighter once again. 

Shit.

In the blink of an eye, the frost melted, the stars vanished, and my moonlight was nowhere to be found. The sun crashed into me once again, flames licking my throat that was already raw from screaming. Burning through my scales and sending me off into oblivion.

Wait.

My scales?

I woke up with a start, lying on the floor of some public restroom. Every inch of my body ached, ten times worse than the worst growing pains I’d ever experienced. Something had changed.