What Comes After Death

Chapter 2

I drearily opened my eyes, my vision still blurry. I lifted my head, trying to observe my surroundings, searching for the three attackers. The area surrounding me was dim, had I been here till dark? The ground around me felt different, in fact I couldn't feel through it at all. I stood up quickly from the fear of not knowing my surroundings, the sudden movement making me light-headed and dizzy. I started breathing heavily, panicking at the dangerous situation I was in and there was nothing I could do.

"Take it easy," a female voice suddenly spoke from in front of me. It was obviously the wind dragoness, but somehow her voice was soothing. I denied the effect her voice had over me and continued to focus my vision.
"Just relax," she spoke again, closer to me than she was before. My body slumped, my head levelled out, and my vision cleared. How can one have this much power over another just by their voice?

I stared at the ground, the floor appeared to be dark blue. As I slowly lifted my head, a grey dragon came into view, a beautiful grey dragon. I was in awe as I had never seen a grey dragon. I wonder what her element was... After a short moment of admiration, I tore my eyes away from her and observed the rest of her body. She stood tall, and was slim, a fitting dark blue cloak draping over her back. There were gold rings on her horns, tail and ankles, and gold insignia chain around her neck holding a light blue gem. She very much suited the room.

She stared down at me, a very calm look in her eye as she allowed me to take her all in. But I frowned as I realised I didn't recognise the area we were in. I glanced around the circular room: books on the shelves on every part of the wall, viles filled with different coloured liquids, and lit candles yet weren't the source of light. There were four groups of circles placed evenly along the walls, each glowing with a different colour: blue, green, yellow, and red—the four main elements.

In the centre of the room the floor descended, like a pool except without water. Placed in this circular pool sat a giant illuminating hourglass, filled with some sort of magical essence. There were two doors, each placed either side of the room. They were in the shape on an arch, a glowing blue insignia around the doors. There was also a ring of the insignia around the room, between the shelves and the floor. All these symbols I recognised as the insignia of the dragon; an insignia that has represented us for many centuries.

I looked back to the female in front of me, waiting for me to realise my location, but I was afraid to admit I didn't know where I was.
"Where... am I?" I asked her cautiously. She asked me to stand, except I didn't see her mouth move? She smiled at me gently, "You are the Chronicler now. I pass this power and great responsibility onto you." she spoke directly through her mouth this time. Wait! What did she say?! Chroni-what?

She closed her eyes and raised her head, the gem around her neck beginning to glow. The rest of her body began to glow, "My time has come to an end, good luck." Her voice sounded as if it came from every corner of the room. Corner? This room has no- The glowing became so bright I had to cover my face with my wing. What was happening to her?! Suddenly the glow disappeared and I opened my wing again. No dragon. I was in the room by myself.

I looked around the room searching for where she could have gone, both doors still closed. As I searched the empty room and caught a glimpse of my scales and almost jumped out of them. My scales are grey now? Or was it just the lighting...? I looked again at my body, my scales have different shades of grey, as if my brown and green scales were monochromatic. I noticed the gold rings on my tail, two of them. I had gold rings around my back ankles, but not my front ankles, an interesting choice... The cloak draped over my back, it looked ragged and baggier than the females.

I looked to my chest and there hung the crystal. 'I pass this power and responsibility onto you', her words echoed through my mind as a memory. Is this what she meant? What is the power and responsibility? I stood in the room for a long moment, shocked by the events that just unfolded in front of me. Am I dreaming? What happened to my town and the attackers? I laid down where I woke up and rested my head. A tear streamed down my face, yet I was not crying. What was happening to me? Why was it happening to me?