Nick found himself floating among the stars. Each star shined with great brilliance, and a planet with unfamiliar contents floated before him. It was beautiful. "Where am I?" He asked aloud.
"Above the world Altney young traveler." a voice echoed all around him. One of the twinkling starts seemed to move and draw near. As it approached, it seemed to take shape as a young dark-skinned man.
Nick bowed his head immediately, knowing that this man was an angel.
"Fear not Nicholas. I am the angel Phanuel, here to bring you good tidings." The angel spoke to him. "Your death happened before your role in the world could be completed; however, He wishes to honor your last request by giving you a new mission, a new purpose."
Nick slowly raised his head, a smile spanning the length of his face. "I get to be a dragon!"
The angel smiled. "Yes Nicholas. You do get your wish on this world."
Nick turned his gaze back to the planet. A sapphire jewel in the darkness of the space around it. "I am to be reborn here, on Altney. Its so beautiful." The planet before him seemed to be surrounded in water with many, many scattered islands. There did not seem to be a single large continent such as back on Earth.
"This is a land akin to a much earlier time from Earth. Magic was still actively practiced, and all number of incredible creatures exist including dragons." Phanuel spoke. "Before I send you to be reborn, He asked that I request a favor of you."
Nick's face turned pale, and a shiver rand down his spine. His mind reeled from the weight of the angel's last statement. "He is... asking a favor of me?"
Phanuel nodded. "Yes Nicholas. He does not push blind obedience upon any of his children; he simply asks for you to listen and consider." The angel's head lowered, appearing to reflect something like regret. "He had a great plan to bring about peace in this world through one of his dragon children. However, the devil intervened on my watch. The child's egg was tampered with, and it has been nearly a century since it was meant to hatch."
"What happened?" Nick asked.
The angel paused for a few moments before answering, "I do not know." Nick waited patiently for him to continue, as the angel seemed to be pained in sharing the truth. "The precious soul inside still exists, but it cannot leave the confines of the egg. So, it remains in a state of suspended animation of sorts. Another soul is needed for dragon to hatch."
"Another soul, like mine..." Damon answered. "Do... Do I need to sacrifice myself for the dragon to be born?"
A small shook his head. "No, nothing like that, but a sacrifice is being asked of you all the same. You need not accept, but it is our Lord's request that you do." Phanuel paused again before continuing. "I will explain all so you can make your own choice. If you choose to accept His request, you will be reborn as the other half of this dragon; you would be a twinned pair."
"I would have a brother, a twin brother?" Nick asked.
"Yes, you would be twins, but perhaps not in quite the same way that you imagine. As dragons, you would be bound together in body and soul, completely inseparable." The angel answered.
The image of one of his old clay dragon models appeared in his mind, a mighty two-headed dragon. Like all of his clay creations, he envisioned incredible tales and stories, and the clay dragon pair was no different. However, he imagined it was something else entirely to actually be half of such a dragon. Nick pondered the options presented. His heart longed to experience being a dragon, and the angel Phanuel was offering him that chance no matter his choice. However, something else tugged at his heart strings. In life, he was an only child, and he also longed for the the trials and triumphs of having a sibling. Nick laughed out loud and then confidently answered, "I humbly accept the task of being reborn with the other soul." Nick felt that he saw a fragment of His plan for him. He might have been the only one able and willing to accept such a mission, and he happily accepted it.
Phanuel smiled. "Very well Nicholas. I will send you to Altney as the other occupant of the dragon egg. Yours and the other's souls will be entwined."
Nick stared as his hands and arms began to glow. His body was engulfed in light. A moment later, he found himself in tight and dark confounds. He seemed to be curled tightly into a ball or oval; his young mind realized that he was inside the egg now. He pressed his head against the hard layer of his shell. Something seemed to snap. Light leaked through. Beside him, within the egg too, something stirred. It eagerly pushed against the shell wall. Working with the other, Nick pushed and scratched at the shell that contained them both. More and more light continued to be funneled in as cracks grew. Nick realized that he and his sibling were about to hatch.
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