NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: Memory Beasts
My bones shivered all the way to my spine, my muscles were burning. I couldn't run for much longer. That thought was horrifying to me, was I going to die after having been given a second chance? No, I couldn't do that, I had to get back and show that guy who doubted me when I said I wanted to challenge the hardest memory.
I turned around to face the horrendous monsters, I felt my insides slowly crawling up my esophagus, trying to break free from the prison that was my weak body.
These are memory beasts. They infect your memories and are the whole cause of everything that has happened until now.
Well, I can't blame them, do I? Ironically I was one of these beasts at first, but unlike them my mind was set on more than killing, I wanted strength... no I wanted to be the strongest. I couldn't stand seeing these lowly, filth-called humans at the top of the food chain.
Someone was going to have to change that... I had to do that. My mind erupted like a volcano, as I saw one of my fellow brothers, make a contract with a lowly human. How could he betray me like that? Shame on him!
Truly we didn't exist before that day, or maybe we did? Does our origin go way back, was that day just when we finally awakened and gained the gift of consciousness, of reason? The ability to think with a clear mind without an evil voice whispering to your ear to kill.
Well, what I know is simple. I crawled out of my mother's womb, I slowly opened my purple eyes and looked into the blinding sky. My eyes, which held multiple stars inside, were quite sensible to our star's light.
I teared up, but then I evolved to wistened the giant laser. 'Ha! Jokes on you big ball of light."
But how could a weak cub adapt so fast? What beast was I?
As thoughts filled my mind, I saw a beautiful creature pass by me.
Her black scales absorbed the light, consuming them like a living shadow. They gleamed, with such majesty you could see your reflection. A large tail wiggled as she slowly walked with elegance.
Her eyes, like an aurora, radiated colors, colors I had never seen. 'Well I, was alive for only some minutes, so I probably don't even know the simplest colors... wait what did color mean?'
Her wings rose, her feathers light enough for her to fly freely, but as sharp as an obsidian knife.
Ah, I see. So dragons are as beautiful as they are in stories. 'Wait what are stories?'
Was this beautiful dragon my mother? I couldn't be more honored to have this mystical creature as my creator.
This also explained my fast adaptation.
I couldn't be more happy. I raised my small paws, light radiating off my black scales. And for the first time, driven by the joy of hugging my mother.
But as my small body approached the beast, I felt my insides rearrange themselves as my thoughts went blank. As I regained consciousness, I saw a human standing in front of my mother.
Was he the one who had caused that terrifying sensation?
"You worthless beast, stay away from my contract. If you want to leave, I suggest you leave!"
Huh, what did all of that mean? But more importantly, why was he keeping me away from my mother? I had woken up just some moments ago, I hadn't experienced a mother's love yet, what did it even matter to him? I was her son, I had the right to be close to her, how else would I survive?
But as I tried giving it another chance, hoping this strong human would just let me hug her for a second, just so I could feel the warmth of her scales, my legs gave in and I fell to the ground. I couldn't move them even for a second, had they broken this easily? Was I truly this weak? All I could do was watch. Observe how the human left with my one and only creature.
I guess that's where my rage for humans came from when hatred started flowing in my onyx blood.
That is how I learned that humans ruled this world, and how I realized I had to change that.
But wait... why am I suddenly remembering all of this, wasn't I about to die? Was this what they mean when they say you see your life flash before your eyes?
...
I stepped to the side, my feet rubbing against the rickety wooden floor, splinters piercing my toes as I tried to keep my balance, dodging the monstrosorous attacks of these filthy beasts.
'Damn it, I can't do this for much longer, I feel my bones crumble. I have to do something!'
'You beast! How dare you try to attack your king!' I said while my feet glued to the ground and my waist twisted as my fist approached one of the monster's faces. Yet it did absolutely nothing.
My face was filled with confusion, as my pupils dilated. 'Well, would you look at that? That was a nice joke wasn't it, just a funny joke I wasn't actually try-' They didn't buy it, there's nothing else to say.
My body sliced the wind as I flew into a stone wall. Blood burst out of my mouth as my eyes started to blacken. 'Curses..'
...
Waking up, I found myself surrounded by nothing but a tray of food. And as soon as my eyes looked onto it, I flew up ready to devour it. But then I felt a crushing pain in my ribs causing me to jump out of terror, had one cracked?
I took deep breaths and slowly moved my body slowly, so I didn't have to experience that pain again, I don't think I could have handled it.
A big smile appeared on my face as I looked at the tasty food. It looked incredible, I didn't know they served this food in this cursed place.
Wait, they didn't serve this food here. I shook my head for some time, then looked back. And now the drooling-worthy food had turned to the one I was used to.
I sighed in despair, but then shivered as I heard a voice calling my name.