Rebirth

I floated in an endless sea of pure darkness, staring into the void, my mind racing as I replayed the scene. Did I…die? I wondered numbly, my thoughts echoing across the abyss.

There was a sound like the chime of a bell, and light blossomed into being before me, blinding in its intensity. From it stepped the little girl I had seen in the street, a somber expression on her face. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing as if she were studying me. It felt like she was weighing my very soul. Then, she spoke, the sound of her voice like the tinkling of a thousand tiny bells, beautiful and mystifying.

“My apologies. I did not think that anyone could see me. By all rights, no one should have been able to. I suppose my haste made me careless, and because of that, your life was cut short.”

She paused, still evaluating me, and tapped her finger against her lips as if in thought. I struggled to process what she had said, unable to offer any words of my own in response. So, I am dead, then. What exactly does that mean? What happens next? When she finally continued, it was with a tone of resigned determination.

“But I do I thank you for going out of your way in an attempt to save my life. You are a good person, with a kind heart. Seeing as how it was entirely my fault that you perished before your time, it is only right that I make amends. My moral compass would never allow me to turn away in this situation. Even if…even if it means I fail in my mission. Regrettably, in my current state, there is not much I can do for you. But with the last ounce of my strength, I will return you to the cycle of rebirth in my world, the world I have come to adore.”

I had no chance to offer any sort of protest as she reached out a slender hand, and the light surrounding her filled the entire space until there was nothing but white radiance, a sensation that permeated my very mind and soul, driving out any and all conscious thought. Her voice echoed in my head, faintly, but definitely there. When you are eventually reborn, I hope that you are able to live a proper and fulfilling life. And should Fate will it, may you succeed where my sisters and I failed…and find a way to save this doomed world.

Slowly, that blinding radiance, the sterile white light of rebirth, faded back to infinite darkness, and there I remained for an eon. There were no thoughts, no sensations, not even awareness of the passage of time. It was as though I did not even exist at all. Eventually, however, there was a feeling of being weighed down, of settling into something. Then…

CRACK!

A spidery sliver of light accompanied the noise, breaking the eternal darkness much like thunder and lightning in the night sky. So it was, like a coming storm, I was born.

Or to be more accurate, reborn.

A thousand formless thoughts swirled around in my head, succinct memories of being a human being, in a strange world with giant towers made of stone and glass, and things called 'cars' which roamed the streets. I was overcome with anxiety; where was I, what had happened, how had I gotten here? Like a dream, however, those memories quickly faded away, as did the anxiety they brought with them, and soon all that was left was the vague feeling that they had once existed. Conscious thought took a backseat as my infantile mind was overcome with one singular desire to go forth into the light.

I pushed with all my might against the blackness surrounding me, stretching my new muscles for the first time. An inexplicable sense of curiosity and apprehension came to me as more cracks began to form against the backdrop. What might lie beyond that spidery veneer?

I made one final push, and suddenly my world exploded, bathing me in golden sunlight. It was unbearable for my eyes, which had never before seen the light of day in this world. I lay stunned and still, blinking furiously in an attempt to make the pain go away.

It was impossible to know how long I spent laying there defenseless, but eventually my senses began to clear, bringing in all sorts of new sights, sounds, and smells that assailed my newborn senses to overwhelm me anew. Far-off birds singing in the trees sounded like they were directly in my ears and the smell of sulfur burned my nose and eyes along with the intense sunlight. Wherever I was, it was quite warm, but pleasantly so. My senses slowly adjusted to all of the very sudden stimuli, and then, I was ready to move on. I pushed my quivering muscles into action, shakily standing and taking in my surroundings properly for the first time.

I was standing in a pile of thick, blue eggshells that glittered like crystal in the light, the leavings of what had imprisoned me for who-knew-how-long. Beside me, two other large eggs that looked like massive gemstones of crimson red and forest green stood upright atop some soft straw. Surrounding us was a circular wall of polished black stones that were just slightly taller than my eye level.

Curious, I approached the wall and for the first time, I caught my reflection in the mirror-like sheen of those stones. My body was squat, covered in soft blue scales, with four stubby legs and two fleshy wings on my sinuous back, ending in a short tail. On an instinctual level, I recognized this form, but just then my stomach rumbled loudly, distracting me from my thoughts. A small whine escaped my throat as I began to pace back-and-forth along the wall before me, gaining strength and coordination with each footfall. There was nothing to eat in here, so I would have to venture outside the wall if I wanted to find food.

Pacing around the small space had certainly helped build up my strength and coordination, and although it took more than several attempts to jump and mount the stones, I eventually succeeded and managed to tumble over them onto the ground beyond. There, I took a moment to admire the newfound landscape while I recovered my strength.

It seemed that I was in a volcanic crater of sorts, with occasional faults across the ground issuing clouds of white steam into the air. The back half of the crater rose into the air for many, many times my length, while the other side was open, and overlooked a vast green forest where birds flocked across the clear blue skies. It was a beautiful sight, but just then, my rumbling stomach reminded me of my mission.

I haphazardly crawled forward, looking around in confusion. Now that I had come this far, what exactly was I even looking for? Several cries escaped my lips as I ventured around in a circle, exploring the seemingly empty space. Sadly, there was not much to be found here in the way of anything to eat.

Then, a curious sound reached my ears from afar, of wind rustling against leather, and the occasional thump which I associated with a wingbeat. Mere moments later, a massive shadow passed overhead, moving so fast that the wind from its passage toppled me head over heels. The ground shook as the much, much larger and more intimidating gray-scaled dragon touched down nearby, and there was a wet thump as it dropped the mangled carcass of some animal before lowering its long, sinuous neck to meet me at eye-level. I gazed into that gigantic emerald eye in wonder before another new sound rattled my brain; a voice, this time, ancient and powerful.

"So, you’ve finally hatched," the deep voice rumbled in an amused tone. It was unmistakably male, and had a certain kind of indescribable force behind it that felt like it was pushing me down into the dirt. The figure continued, "I see you're quite a lively one, aren't you? Good."

I tried to respond, but the only sounds my juvenile throat could make were wordless whines and cries, which made the older dragon chuckle. "Oh, little one. It seems that I have much to teach you."