Return of the Shadow Dragon

(In this story, a decade has passed since Marc and his friends have been stripped of all the power first given to them by Marc’s father Satan, leaving them mortal, but Marc, through his absorption ability, has also drained me of both my empathic mimicry, and of all the powers I had gained through it, leaving me mortal as well)




It had been one year. One entire year without any incidents, as Marc and his friends had been incarcerated by the police after being caught sneaking around my house; Marc and Judas armed with Desert Eagles, and Moloch with a K-BAR knife.

Both Curtis and Dallas had broken in by sneaking through an unlocked porch window, and had searched for me.

Luckily, before waking from a nap, I’d somehow had a premonition of their break-in, and thankfully, I was all alone at home that night, but knew better than to confront them.

As quietly as I could, I got up, grabbed my backpack, and packed one change of clothes, my iPhone, and my Maglite. I then slipped on my runners, and as quietly as possible, opened my door, went into the office, slid open one of the windows, and climbed out onto the low roof, before dropping to the sidewalk below.

I had then ran down the street away from home, staying in the shadows.

At the end of King Street, I turned to look back at my home, knowing I couldn’t go back because my enemies were now there, and therefore knew I’d probably never see the only home I’d ever known, again.

I forced the thought away as I headed toward the wizard Drethan’s shop on the town outskirts.

I soon saw that it was closed for the night, so I sat on the front step, waiting.

I knew there was something within me that desperately wanted to break free, but I couldn't tell what it was. I lowered my head, closing my eyes while breathing slowly and deeply to maintain a state of calmness.

I then manifested my telepathy, feeling the psychic static flow through my mind, crossing the barrier between my conscious and subconscious. I suddenly saw a vision of a lonely snow-capped mountain peak somewhere in California, one side bathed in the orange glow of an early sunset. Then I saw a large black dragon with scales like shiny obsidian come flying toward the peak from the north. Landing, the dragon slowly stood up, spreading his wings to their full, 30-foot span, and facing west to look into the sunset; his black scales shimmering with a faint silvery lustre. The vision faded a split-second later, as I opened my eyes. Interestingly, this vision was of the same form as the vision that Neo had in 'The Matrix Revolutions', when he foresaw the three power lines which represented the path that both he and Trinity followed in order to reach the Machine City, but this vision was mine alone!

Drethan was busy organizing his shop when he got this sudden, subtle feeling, which he traced to me. It confused him at first, but as he continued to experience its effects, he began to realize that something was very wrong. He then heard my voice whisper his name, echoing all around him! Then he suddenly looked around in a panic as he heard me scream in agony, then plead for help, followed by Marc's menacing laughter, followed by the vision I'd had!! As Drethan examined my vision of the Shadow Dragon, a dawning realization came over him, alongside an underlying feeling of fear due to Marc and his friends trying to keep me trapped!!!

“Charlie…?!” I turned to see my friend, and got up. He immediately looked worried upon seeing my backpack.

“I was lucky I foresaw their arrival, Drethan!” I replied. “I managed to pack some things and escape my home before they found me.”

“Come inside, Charlie.” I smiled, and entered my friend’s shop.

As usual, the Second Identity shop was still stocked with many different costumes of every kind: garments, mythical creatures, animals, and everything in between.

My friend led me through the door at the back of the shop, and up the stairs to the loft, where his home was.

I sat back in the small, yet comfy armchair as Drethan prepared hot mugs of tea.

I sipped mine with a dark expression for a moment, before glancing up at the wizard, my friend.

“I just don’t know what to do anymore, Drethan!” I said morosely. “You’d think my enemies would reconsider crossing me after all they’ve been through when fighting me, but they just don’t learn!!”

I shook my head. “There has got to be something that can bring an end to them, Drethan! I have enjoyed a normal life ever since my powers faded away, but I need to do something to stop them, for good!!”

My friend looked thoughtful for a moment, but then he looked up at me, and smiled, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“I think I might be able to help you, Charlie!” he replied. Drethan then got up, and walked to the fireplace, reaching up to the bookcase and tilting a red book forward.

There was a low clunk, and as I watched, my eyes wide with astonishment, the rack holding the burning logs suddenly slid sideways, as a section of the brick wall behind the fire pit swung open, revealing a secret hallway!!

Drethan smiled, and entered the hall, as I followed; the door closing again as the faint grinding sound of the fireplace sliding back in position was heard.

I followed my friend down a long stone passageway; silver dragon head sconces lit with bright flames illuminating the way.

Stopping before a tall stone door engraved with a mythical dragon, the wizard turned to me, looking me in the eyes. He then placed both hands on my shoulders.

“Behind this door, Charlie, is a very special kind of amulet; not in the sense of a necklace, but of something that can give you the perfect weapons to fight against Marc and his friends with; not only that, but your life will be changed, forever!”

Opening the door, Drethan stepped aside to allow me to enter, as my jaw dropped in utter disbelief.

Before me was a massive round room at least twenty feet across, almost like Cerebro from ‘X-Men’, but in the centre, on a large granite pedestal, was a pulsing orb of pure dark energy about the size of a basketball; its appearance exactly like that of a plasma globe!!

It hovered about half a foot over the pedestal, and if I listened closely, I could make out a barely-audible humming sound from the object!

I turned to Drethan in a mix of both amazement and confusion, but my friend smiled.

“This, Charlie, is the key to unlocking your hidden power! If you remember, about thirty years ago I had summoned you in order to help you understand your inner self: the Shadow Dragon you really were!”

Drethan smiled again.

“The suit I created to help release your inner self did just that, but the instability of the suit itself gradually weakened its power, until it was destroyed! You had gone into a coma just before the final moments of the suit’s destruction, and were sent back to your home!”

I looked up at my friend, confused.

But Drethan smiled. “The entity that gave the suit its power, separated from it, and erased your memory of ever having the suit, or wearing it!! And, as you went back to a normal life, the suit was gradually broken down and destroyed by the very entity that had allowed it to exist!

Afterward, it returned to me, its creator, and I locked the entity safely in a special obsidian crystal, where it remained until now!!”

I thought about this, then my eyes suddenly widened as I turned to look at the dark orb of energy.

I slowly stepped closer to the pulsing orb, and as I squinted to get a better look at it, I suddenly understood.

“Are you saying, Drethan, that this orb holds the very same entity that had brought my Shadow Dragon into existence?!” I asked, not daring to believe.

My friend smiled, and nodded. I turned to look at the orb once again; the full revelation of what he had done hitting me like a sledgehammer!

I was mesmerized at the dancing fingers of electricity inside the orb, and as I slowly walked toward it, the electricity grew visibly stronger!!

Suddenly, as I reached my right hand out toward the orb, the electricity began to rapidly swirl, spinning faster and faster, growing brighter by the second!

FLASH!

A thick bolt of bright white electricity suddenly blasted out of the orb, slamming square into my chest, and into my heart!!

Instantly, my clothes completely incinerated as I was pulled up off the ground; the force making my arms fling wide open as I threw my head back; Drethan watching with pure astonishment!!

Instantly, I felt several strong pulses of intense psychic static in my mind, as the electricity supercharged the neurons in my brain; decades of forgotten memories of my past life as a Shadow Dragon coming back to me!!

As the power continued coursing through my body, my human skin began to ‘crack’ like glass; blinding white light shining through, as my eyes vanished into twin cords of blinding light!!

My mouth was open in a scream, but there was no sound aside from the loud humming, whirring of pure energy and power!!

Suddenly the light from my eyes rapidly spread, flowing over my body until I was nothing but light; Drethan throwing up his arms to shield himself from it!

But after a few seconds, the blinding light grew visibly dimmer, and began to diffuse; a thick grey mist suddenly flowing out of it, and forming into what Drethan instantly recognized as the dragon Drago’s ghostly spirit form, from ‘Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer’s Curse’, before he saw two glowing amber eyes fade into view; the sight of them sending a chill down Drethan’s spine!!

Then, finally, the ghostly form floated slowly down, coming to stand on all fours before the wizard, and the mists began to slowly thin, flowing back over the head, down the neck, and across the body; the wings spreading slowly as the mists swirled along them vanishing into thin air at the tips, as well as flowing and vanishing down toward the tip of the spade tail!!

I slowly opened my eyes again as I raised my head, and Drethan stared in amazement at Drago, himself, from the third Dragonheart film!!!

For a few seconds, the wizard could not speak, only staring transfixed at the magnificent dragon before him!!

“D-drago…?!” my friend finally found the strength to whisper my name.

I looked up at him, and smiled. “Hello, Drethan!” My voice was now noticeably deeper and stronger, but still slightly recognizable as my own!

The wizard slowly walked toward the magnificent creature before him, and I smiled as Drethan reached up to feel my stone-like hide, my muzzle, and my horns.

I smiled, and as my friend stepped back, I glanced up at the orb, still hovering before me in midair, and smiled, before exhaling a gentle stream of red fire at it, which surrounded the orb, like a fireball, before it suddenly flared out, leaving absolutely nothing behind but a wisp of smoke!!

Glancing at Drethan, I grinned at his astonished expression, and winked!
I then turned to head back down the stone hallway, before heading through the shop, which was luckily large enough for me to move around with my new form, without disturbing anything, then I headed outside; the fresh, cool night breeze greeting me, as I breathed the cool air.

Drethan stood by my side, as we gazed up at the stars, and as I shifted my gaze to the north, my heart swelled with pride as I beheld the 17 stars forming the constellation Draco, and as I watched, they seemed to brighten, slightly yet noticeably, before the star I recognized as Eltanin, in the dragon’s eye, flashed like a diamond, gleaming in the night!!

I smiled. “I know now that the Dragons will one day return, and do great things for mankind!”

My friend and I exchanged glances, as he smiled.

“And you, Drago Starspark, are the first to exist in nearly four millennia!!”

Drethan then removed a small, beautifully-crafted rosewood case from his pocket, opening it to reveal the sterling silver ring with the deep blue gemstone, that Thorin Oakenshield had worn in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'!!

He smiled as he took it, and placed it onto my right middle finger. “This is very special, Drago, and I hope you like it!” Drethan said with a smile.

“Special, is it?” a mocking voice suddenly sneered from behind us, followed by laughter.

I spun, snarling, toward Marc, Judas, Moloch, Curtis, and Dallas, as they all gasped in shock, backing away!

I growled ferociously as I willed myself into spirit form; the blood draining from their faces as they watched me shift, and my amber eyes blazed like embers!!

“You will never win, Marc!” I snarled; my voice suddenly taking on an ethereal echoing whisper, sending chills down their spines!!

I suddenly roared, shooting toward them, as they all ran.

But then, Marc evaded my line of sight, as I spun, just in time to see him dart at Drethan, knocking my friend to the ground!

I thrust my right hand at Marc, telekinetically pushing him away from Drethan.

But then, Marc got up, and spread his arms, and as Drethan and I watched, his body seemed to glow with a ghostly light!

Seconds later, it faded, revealing my enemy dressed in a robe as black as the night itself!!

“So now you really believe you could best either one of us, Marc?” I snarled.

He grinned. “Satan let me choose the moon as a source of power, Drago, just as you can be strengthened by it!”

My muzzle twisted in rage. ”You will never realize that I, Drago, DO NOT use the moon as a source of evil!! I choose to see it as a symbol of strength and beauty, as it should be seen; NEVER of anything evil!!”

I roared, diving at my enemy while blasting him with fire, but he somehow absorbed it, and emerged from the flames as Smaug himself!!

“Curse you, Smaug!!” I roared. He snarled, then flew at me, but with a strong, fast wingbeat, I was rocketing up into the night sky!!

Drethan, and Marc’s friends as well, all watched, stunned, as the two dragons chased each other into the sky, then at the last second, I spun away from my enemy, and blasted away, before arcing around toward him.

Seeing a tall cloud ahead of me casting a shadow, I dived toward it; Smaug gasping in disbelief as a flowing black mist seemed to envelop me, and I disappeared before his eyes!!

“Coward!!” Smaug growled. But then, suddenly, as he turned the other way, I literally faded out from another shadow ahead of him; his gasp of shock audible to Marc’s friends and Drethan, a hundred feet below on the ground!!

I grinned fiendishly. “Gotta love shadow-jumping, eh, Smaug?” I snarled, then I shot at him, before flipping upright and literally dropkicking the dragon across the sky!!

Smaug roared in agony as he spun and flipped uncontrollably through the air, then, as I sped toward him, I shadow-jumped, before pile-driving him, then, as he was falling, blasted him with fire hot enough to choke him and actually crack some of his throat and chest scales!!

I sped down toward him, connected, then we spun around in midair until I was directly beneath him…

BANG!!

With all my might, I landed an uppercut to his jaw that literally sent him flipping across the sky, exactly how Smith did to Neo during the final fight in ‘The Matrix Revolutions’!!!

Drethan suddenly spotted an old electric fence extending across the middle of the field, and grinned, using his power to sever one wire and gather several bolts of electricity from it!

“Drago!” I spun to look down at Drethan. “Catch!”

My friend literally hurled the electricity into the air, but I thrust my hands out, catching it between them, then thrust my hands wide open, holding a lethal orb of pure electricity in either hand, exactly how Peter summoned his electrokinesis after going into the Pinehearst facility, in the Heroes episode ‘Dying of the Light’!!

I spun toward Smaug, as his eyes widened in disbelief, but then, they darkened with rage.

With a thunderous roar, my enemy dove toward me, but I instantly spun and flew away, as he gave chase.

I waited until I’d built up a decent amount of speed, before I clenched my hands into fists, pulling all the electricity into my right hand, and spun…

BOOM!!

With a sound like an exploding bomb, I nailed Smaug square in the hollow of his left breast; the electricity instantly blazing through his body through the hollow scale; my enemy throwing his head skyward and literally screaming in agony!!

I then grabbed his neck, pulling it down so his head snapped down to look at me.

I grinned as I stared into my enemy’s petrified eyes, before growling the last words he’d ever hear:

“Hasta la vista, scumbag!”

I then released him, spun, and blasted a fireball, nailing Smaug in the small of his back, breaking his spine with a sickening CRACK!

I grinned in satisfaction as I watched my enemy’s limp body plummet to earth; Judas, Moloch, Curtis, and Dallas all too late to run as they were crushed to death by Smaug’s body, leaving nothing but a crater in the earth that served as my greatest enemy’s eternal grave!!!

Flying down to land by Drethan, I smiled, as he returned it, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“You did it, Drago!” my friend said with a smile, as I grinned.

“Thanks to you, Drethan, my friend!” I replied.

I smiled, and raised my right hand to examine my ring; the silver bands gleaming, as the gemstone flashed in the starlight!! A knowing smile crossed my muzzle as I instantly recognized it as sodalite!

Suddenly I felt a faint tingle from the ring, and focused with my mind on the sodalite gemstone beneath the silver bands. As I did so, I found something astounding!!

Locked within the confines of the gemstone was an immense, glowing, pulsing, ever-restless pool of raw, unprecedented power!! Judging by the intensity of the pool's thundering mass, I wondered how the gem could easily withhold such an incredible amount of energy, like a massive thunderhead moments before a violent storm, without exploding, or even cracking for that matter!!

“This is my gift to you, Drago, so that you will forever know that God has let me set you free, and He has let you become your true self!!”

I smiled, and held out my hand. “It has been an honour knowing you, Drethan!” I said warmly, as he smiled, reaching out to shake my draconic hand.

“No, the honour is mine, Drago!” he replied, before Drethan and I once more hugged each other, as I began to softly cry; my diamond dragon tears falling to the ground at Drethan's feet. He hugged me while giving me feelings of comfort, although he knew I was sad because we wouldn't see each other again for a very long time, possibly many years, and I was reluctant to part ways with such a dear friend as Drethan.

He and I then bade our final warm farewells, before he put a charm over my ring that let both of us always keep in contact over immeasurable distances.

I then turned, and stared up at the sky, watching as the full moon slowly rose over the horizon.

As I was bathed in its soft, silvery glow, Drethan smiled as he watched my flesh-and-blood dragon form slowly yet gracefully revert to my spirit form, as my eyes faded into ghostly amber once again!!

However, unlike in the film, I could shift between this ethereal form, and my flesh-and-blood form, at will, and my mind, for reasons known to only myself, became ten times clearer and magic-resistant than in my flesh-and-blood form.

And another difference from the film, was that I could freely move about in daylight in my true form without switching to spirit form; the daylight making me stronger so that by the next night, I would be even more powerful!!

I then spread my ghostly wings, and literally sailed up into the sky, before gracefully turning to look down at Drethan, who smiled.

'Goodbye, Drethan, my dear friend!! I will miss you!’ I said with a sad smile. Drethan smiled, nodding in return.

'And I will miss you, Drago! But always know that thoughts and memories are what matter between us, as do those of your family!’ I smiled, nodding, and waved back, before turning and flying off into the twilight sky, literally fading into the night and soon becoming a mere shadowy silhouette along the moon's edge, before vanishing over the starlit western horizon; the full moon resting low in the sky, and the soft glow of the rising sun on the eastern horizon.

Drethan smiled to himself, watching the spot where I had vanished a few minutes longer. 'Farewell, Drago, and good luck, my friend!!' he whispered, before turning to go back into his shop.

A heaviness came over me as I glided silently over the barren landscape on stilled wings, knowing that I was leaving everything I had ever known behind forever.

Stopping about a half-mile beyond the borders of the town, I turned to look back, glimpsing the familiar shapes of the houses and buildings of Stony Mountain, knowing that I would never see this land, the only home I had ever known, ever again.

I wiped away my diamond tears, before turning to look toward the horizon where I was headed. A comforting realization suddenly came to me.

'God knows the heart, and the future, of every man on Earth.’ I thought. 'I understand now! God chose this destiny for me, yet by His love, my family will never lament my departure. I know they will take joy in knowing that I am pursuing a promising new future, and life! I always knew that I was truly a dragon at heart, and so I have become my true self, now! Even though I will never again lay eyes on the only home I have ever known, whatever is beyond its borders, I am sure God has found a new and better home for me!!’ I thought to myself as I flew away.

'And Drethan is right. The memories I have of our friendship, and also of my friends and family, are all I need now!!’

And with such revelations, the burden of this decision was instantly lifted forever from my shoulders, and my heart.

Gradually, my spirits and hopes were lifted as I pondered on the excitement of the new life I was pursuing, and as I travelled away across the moonlit lands, a measure of peace came over me, filling me with new optimism and determination, as I flew purposefully off through the night sky, onward to the horizon, and toward a new life of exploration, excitement, and discovery in lands unknown, never again to return.

And much to my relief, no one ever saw the pale, ghostly dragon with the glowing amber eyes flying across the twilight sky.

And, as the morning sunrise came, I felt my spirit form flow effortlessly back into flesh-and-blood, shifting me back to normal, until the next full moon.

I smiled as I lifted my head to the sun, closing my eyes and revelling in its warmth, alongside the cool summer breeze beneath my wings.

And sometimes, for fun, I’d practice shadow-jumping, which I found effortless and very relaxing; the skill being a great tool to help me on my journey.

As I soared towards a distant forest, I grinned, and folded my wings to increase my speed.

I quickly recapped my skill: Think of the shadows as doors or passageways.

I breathed deeply, calming my mind. Focus, and clear your mind of distractions. Concentrate only on your destination, and use the shadows as ‘stepping stones’ to help you on your way.

Seeing a line of tall evergreens ahead, I grinned, folding my wings and increasing my speed.

Whoosh!

My view momentarily took on a translucent black haze as I entered the shadow of one pine, then came the feeling like I was travelling like a speeding bullet train; the haze flashing as I exited another shadow ahead of myself!!

Glancing back at the shadows of the two pines, I grinned and laughed.

”Maybe I’ll stick to normal flight for now!” I thought with a grin.

And so, after a short but refreshing rest, I took off on my journey again, excited about the prospect of the new life awaiting me in the distant horizons beyond.


        The End!!