Bound

Ch. 2

I awoke before the human. After all, they had a...weaker disposition than that of a dragon. We were immortal creatures after all. If we weren't this strong, we would've gone extinct a long time ago. We could be killed, of course, but not easily. And magic was a part of our people. Not even the magic of the Raydos could take me down for long. It was the gods who gave both us dragons our power and also the Raydos their power. To this day, I wasn't entirely sure what exactly the connection was. I didn't know how much was our power, how much was the humans' power, or how much was the gods' power. I glanced over at Tristan. He was still unconscious, the sigil glowing on his neck.

I frowned. When did I begin to use his name instead of calling him human? I rubbed my neck absently, feeling the indented skin where the twin of Tristan's mark resided. I couldn't see it, but I knew it would be the same. Every Raydos pair would have their own unique sigil, from what I'd heard, but there was an aura of power from them all that signified the connection. You couldn't see Raydos and not know who they were.

Tristan began to stir. To help, I started a fire to make the cave a bit more warm for him. Humans were so weak, after all. Despite my...distaste for his kind, I couldn't bring myself to hate him. I couldn't even bring myself to think anything negative about him. That irritated me greatly. I never wanted to be Raydos. The very thought of being so tied to a human made me upset. I always believed being a Raydos made our kind more inferior. Despite all of these previous feelings, I didn't find this humans company so bad. St least he was respectful and didn't try to slay me upon first meeting.

Tristan opened his eyes. "Ugh. Wh-where am I?"

"My home. You fell unconscious. Well...we both did."

"Oh. Are you...alright?"

I froze in the middle of lighting the fire. "Pardon me? You are asking if...I'm safe?"

"Yes. You said that you passed out as well, right? Did you get hurt?"

I grunted. "No, I am fine. Do you...understand what happened?"

"No. I just started to feel ill. Then I woke up here."

"I see." It seemed I would have to explain my people's lore to him. I was not too surprised that the legends of Raydos were lost to his kind. Dragons may have been a greedy and prideful sort, but humans seemed to be worse. And without cause. My kind were much stronger and far more superior than humans. "Have you ever heard tales of the Raydos?"

"That name sounds familiar. But I cannot recall exactly what I heard."

"The Raydos were something that existed decades ago. They were humans and dragons who were...connected by magic. A bond that couldn't be broken except in death. A human and a dragon, born near the same time, would reach maturity. When they did, matching sigils would appear on their skin. Every pair had their own mark, but it was unmistakable. Once connected, the humans would gain the powers and abilities of a dragon. While the dragon would gain the emotions and perspectives of a human. They would know what it felt to be...mortal."

"Oh. I...think I remember my grandmother saying something about that. About how angry we were about it."

"That is correct. Humans despised dragons. And they despised Raydos much more. They believed it our fault that humans were...tempted. But this magic is not of our doing. Even my ancestors weren't entirely sure what caused this connection. A few decades ago, there were a lot of them. They were supposed to be the heros of the realms. Made to keep peace between our races. However, they caused only chaos." I paused.

"Well, more chaos. Eventually, the humans hunted the Raydos into extintion. Or might as well have. There hasn't been another pair in a very long time. And we all thought there would be no more. However..." Tristan was gazing at my neck, the mark I knew would be obvious. "it seems they were wrong. We are...Raydos."

He took a deep breath, shaking. "But...I...don't want this."

"Neither do I. Trust me. I have never had a good relationship with humans. And being bound to one until death? It sounds like hell to me. However, we have no say in the matter. The gods are fickle creatures. Their will be done, no matter how their subjects feel about it."

"So. What does it mean? For us? What are we supposed to do with this...connection?"

"Supposedly, the quest of the Raydos was to keep peace and protect the world from a villain who seeked to gain godhood. At least, back then. Now? I cannot begin to guess the thoughts of gods."

"You said that each of the...pair...would gain the perspective and power of the other, correct?"

"Yes."

"So, that would make you more...human?"

"Unfortunately," I growled.

"How would that make...the Raydos more powerful? Wouldn't both gain the weaknesses of each race?"

This human surprised me. He seemed to think more like a dragon. "I...suppose. But, apparently, they also gained the strengths of both races. Imagine dragon magic and human magic combined. The amount of damage they could do..." Thinking about it now, maybe this wasn't so bad. If I gained the magic of a human, I would be all powerful. Not thatbibreally cared about all of that. All I wanted was to be alone. To live my days in solitude. Dragons lived much longer than humans, normally, but we still died of old age. And I planned to live my days alone until then. But, perhaps, company wasn't so bad. Especially someone who understood the way I thought.

"Is there...no way to break this bond?" He looked a bit afraid. Either of being bound to me, or of the consequences of breaking this, I wasn't sure.

"Not that I know of. Apparently, the only end to this connection...is death. If one of us dies, so does the other. We are...one."