He could feel his body undergoing a transformation, the bone-wrenching pain acted as a testament to it. He could feel his skin crack and his body become unbearably hot.
The smooth skin on his body soon turned scaly and he soon felt a protrusion on his back.
The wings on his back grew exponentially large and his human body started to transform completely.
A few moments of time passed after which the cracking sounds in his body ceased and slowly the pain in his body turned numb.
Tilting his head down, he observed the scales on his body which he noticed were in golden color.
So, I am a golden dragon, eh?!, he wondered.
As the pain disappeared, there was only happiness in his heart. He was not able to awaken his bloodline all these years and this was the source of argument between him and his grandfather.
Humph! The old swine even threatened to disown him!
Finally, he can show the old geezer that he was not a defective specimen.
Then again, is it because of his attacker that he was finally able to transform into a dragon?
If so, he was truly indebted.
'I should properly apologize for burning the garden and then I should thank the person for his indirect help.'
But, before he could voice out, he heard a sneer "Tsk, Tsk. After all, you're a tiny lizard..."
Lizard?, his entire body stiffened, with an expression of disbelief he lifted his head abruptly wanting to ask the person if he was blind. The person must be blind, if not how could he call a mighty dragon a lizard?
But, one look at his attacker was all it took for him to go blank.
Standing in front of him was a woman dressed in royal blue robes with a black dagger hoisted on her waist. Her long black hair was gathered together and supported by a simple black jade crown. The surprising thing is that the woman's features were no where close to delicate, her sharp eyebrows and her tanned skin attested to her roughness. Her n.a.k.e.d hands were adorned with strong muscles while her clear eyes made him want to lower his head in reverence.
She was no where close to the ladies he had seen in his race, he felt that the woman resembled a warrior. And, she seemed to be older than him.
Completely forgetting the fact that he was insulted as a lizard, he stared at the woman in an admiring daze.
While he was busy scrutinizing the woman, she spoke "Little one, didn't your elders teach you that blatant staring is rude and offensive?"
Startled, he hurriedly apologized "Pardon me, I did not mean to be rude."
"Oh! Then what do you say of this?" the woman pointed at the garden which was now in ashes, her tone barely concealing the pure rage in her heart.
Gulping audibly, he replied "It was a thoughtless action. I was looking for a place to vent out my anger..."
"And my garden was the best choice. I see..."
There was something dangerous in her tone that made him scared all of a sudden.
What if she decided to kill him all of a sudden? A single attack of hers was able to awaken his bloodline, so, he was sure that she could kill him with a single wave of her hand.
Following his intuition he stayed silent, not wanting to provoke the woman to kill him.
Bowing his head, he played the role of someone being wronged with perfection.
"You are a clever little one, aren't you?" the woman laughed, in a eerie tone she continued "Too bad, it's useless against me."
As soon as her words fell, he felt a gust of wind around him. Before he could what was happening, he felt a strong hand grab his tail and lift him up.
Oh no! This is too shameful!
If anyone from my race learns of this, I will become a laughing stock!
So, he began to struggle with all his strength. Tragedy was that his attempts to free himself were useless in the end. The woman stared at the struggling lizard in her hand with disdain.
Lifting his tail higher so that his face was in level with her eyes, she spoke "Since you dared to burn my garden, be prepared to face the consequences."
With that she tightened the grip on his tail and hauled him on her shoulders as if he was a sack of potatoes.'
'O kind warrior! Didn't I apologize for my actions? Please let me go...'
'I would do anything, so please don't kill me.'
All his cries of pleas did nothing to ease the woman's temper and soon he went quiet, as if accepting his doomed fate.
Just when he felt lightheaded by all the movements, the woman stopped walking. Before he could breathe out in relief, he felt her pulling him off her shoulders and throwing him to the ground. No, it was not ground.
His body came into contact with something metallic. As he turned his head to the side, he found himself trapped in a cage.
This was truly shameful!
'Let me out!' he shouted while the woman leaned against the tree eyeing him with amus.e.m.e.nt.
'How long are you going to stay in that dragon form? A golden dragon, so ugly...'
That's it! He prided himself for his good looks and this violent woman was demeaning him.
'You! Just you wait! I may be ugly in my dragon form, let's see if you'll say the same when I'm in my human form.'
A golden halo of light enclosed his body and as the light faded, his appearance was restored to normal.
The woman narrowed her eyes at the little lizard- Hawk like gaze, chiselled face, high cheekbones and most importantly his dark bronze skin tone; she concluded that the lizard was handsome. He was totally according to her taste but, Too bad, he was too young for her. He looked like he was a few hundreds of years younger than her and she was not into younger men.
She then eyed his attire- the golden black robes which signified royalty lay dr.a.p.ed on his body.
The woman's eyebrows rose a bit as a realization dawned on her. In a tone which reflected the same, she stated 'You are the youngest prince of the Dragon race, aren't you?'
On seeing him purse his lips, a sly smirk spread across her lips. This time she spoke with confidence 'Welcome to my home or in other words to your hell, Prince Long Li Wei.'
"Big Brother, wake up! What happened to you?!"
The anxious shouts of Jun Moyin made the images in his mind came to a halt and consciousness slowly dawned on Xuan Li Wei. A frown creased his brows and he slowly opened his eyes. Looking at the concerned face of his brother, Xuan Li Wei blinked his eyes as his mind drifted off to his dream.
Why did he see himself and Xia Lian in his dream?
And, why was he younger than her?
Most importantly, why was he behaving like a fool in there?
Is it really a dream?
But, him getting trashed by Xia Lian...
It seemed too realistic to him.
Shaking his head, Xuan Li Wei dismissed the ridiculous notions.
No, it must be a dream.
But, even he had to admit that it was a scary dream.