Continuing the process of the story told from Ezrael's perspective.
A few days had gone by and Calem tried everyday to gain my trust, giving him buckets of food and water almost everyday, but sometimes I refused to eat at a certain day and time period as for a dragon such as myself, we can last months or even a century by not consuming any food or water, but since I was still young I could only go one for a week without food, as I still need to wait for my wounds to heal properly. But the determination he showed everyday was to be honoured. As Calem wanted me to feel welcome for Calem's hospitality, everyday for the days still brimming, he tried to get closer to me inch by inch with courage building from within, but every attempt he makes I retaliated always snapping when he gets too close for my own safety.
Soon weeks had gone by, with Calem's efforts to earn my trust, I somehow started to feel a bit ease with his new surroundings. I can only guess that due to Calem's many attempts of gaining my trust everyday I somehow gotten used to his presence bit by bit. But sometimes I retaliated against Calem every time he approached me, he even one time managed to touch my tail as it was the first contact I have felt his hands on my tail, but I could let my guard down just yet, yanking my tail away from Calem's hands, stepping back away from him for a moment as he understood that he made some progress.
Another day has passed and Calem didn't visit me today as I took the moment to relax for the first time in my life. But then I saw some light peeping through a hole, curiosity did piqued my interest as I moved towards the peephole with one eye. From the peephole on the walls seeing the people of Calem's home village being kind and caring with one another.
When I first witness their thriving community this made me feel a bit jealous of what I got treated with by my own kind, from within my heart I wanted to go outside and see them thrive with my help. But I know from my scaly appearance the people would know that I am a dragon and may report me to the higher levels and give me a worst fate than what I have already experienced before.
But then I heard a voice who saw me looking through the peephole "so you want to explore the outside world" from what I can hear, I turned quickly as I only see, Calem leaning onto the side of the door as I was quick to growl at him for seeing like this.
"Hey, listen I was to one who saved you, shouldn't I receive a bit of respect?" But I still kept my guard up on Calem.
"Right, I get it, you're a dragon you can only make those growling sounds and roar like a beast. Perhaps this might help" Calem then brings out a necklace with purple crystal in the middle and shows it to me, and from the sight I soon became curious of the crystal on the necklace. I even got a bit closer to Calem just to see the necklace even further.
"You like it? I bought it from a strange merchant the other day wearing a cloak, but they said it could make your identity change depending on your thoughts. I know I can't get your trust, but maybe changing your appearance may be a start, you wanna try it".
Those words I hesitated at first but looks through the peephole and sees the people being cheery for each other and looks at the necklace as I know to myself I wanted to feel some freedom than just wasting my life here in the farm. As I would've known sooner or later that some people who are curious enough to take a look in the farm to notice me in one of them, I had to agree, but I hesitantly agrees to the idea. Then Calem slowly approaches as the first time I did was letting him placing his hand onto. But due to my instincts from his hand on my head which I was quick to reply with a threatening growl.
"Right I get it, no head pats" as Calem slowly wraps the necklace around my neck and once the two ends of the necklace connects together the crystal begins to glow. I suddenly felt my body feeling different as I couldn't understand the feeling of when I first used the necklace to conceal my appearance, as from the start my eyes started to feel something within my body. My body started to shake, and shift, as to jolt with movement and felt my body changing throughout every part of my body. The pain was too much for me as I couldn't but brought out a loud roar filled with pain. But as slowly my dragonic appearance started to change.
My horns started to move down into my head, then my wings and tail retracting back into my backside as my large scales started to begin to turn smaller eventually turning into a skin of a human along with his claws and talons becoming dull shaping to be more of human limbs. While Calem was shocked at my transformation, but he couldn't stop staring at what he had just witnessed seeing a dragon such as myself, getting converted into a human with the necklace he gave to me.
"Hey Nighterstriker are you alright?" He was quick to check if I was okay from the transformation, but he was quick to notice that I was completely naked.
"Right I should get you some clothes" Calem then quickly sprinted out the shelter and hastily head towards his place trying find me some clothes to wear. Grabbing a tunic and pants as he quickly then runs back into the shelter to give the clothes to me as I was still laying on the ground observing my new hands.
"Here Nightstriker take these"
"Do you have to call me that" the first time I ever talk, I was shocked myself that I can have a sense of speech.
"You can talk, but at least I named you. You didn't bother giving me your name". Then we were suddenly shocked as we looked at each other. I then touch my neck and tries to speak again trying out my vocals and let out a slight laugh and immediately covered my mouth not only the necklace granted me the appearance of a human, but also me him the attributes of a human allowing me to speak and understand any humans human language. Then Calem waits outside of the shelter waiting for me to emerge from the door as I then come out wearing the clothes Calem gave me, as I took my first steps on twos and heading out of the shelter, as from the outside the shelter I witnesses the bright light shining towards him.
But as if there were more to discuss about Ezrael's story of his own past.
A loud roar can be heard getting closer and it was the Unknown approaching hastily towards them. "Will continue this another time. If we want to defeat that Siren we need to defeat his brute first" Ezrael preparing his weapons.
"But how did Moria get a control over one of those beast who wasn't in the books"
"It may be hard to understand at the time, but I think it had something to so with an insider"
"could it be that she works with an Sourcer like Handikiz"
"Perhaps, but for now, lets focus on the matter at hand". Jin quickly created a levitates everyone out of the weaponry but grabs a few weapons along the way as the Unknown is slowly gaining them. Railian tries to summon lightning but was stopped by Gale.
"What do you want Changeling"
"Don't use your lightning or your zap the people", Ralian scoffs and begins to load an arrow and is ready to fire at the Unknown. But now Gale seeing to lose all the trust Gale had built up with Ralian suddenly vanished as now feels like an outsider to they're friend that they've have been with together for months.
"Is everything alright Azulen" Ezrael seeing Gale a bit saddened.
"It's just now that I have revealed my face to Ralian, I don't think she wants to talk or even speak to me anymore"
"In time, it will take a while for someone ambition as Ralian to understand. But she has her own ideals, though I do cherish life all around, there sometimes where I have to temporarily have to leave that belief behind"
"You sound like Gale"
"Indeed, Azulen, but that if for you to figure that out for yourself".
Suddenly from a distance they all began to hear singing coming across the hallway "Jin quick the barrier" Gale asked Jin.
"Alright. I'm on it" Jin quickly summons a wind barrier all around them numbing the sounds of Moria's singing.
"A wind gust loud enough to negate the loudest of song, very intriguing wind caster, and good thinking Azulen"
"Thanks I'll take that as a compliment" "thank you Ezrael" Jin and Gale appreciating Ezrael's gratitude.
"When do we get closer"
"Her quarters are just from here, just a little more".
Then the roar became even louder that it passes through Jin's wind barrier "great this guy is persistent"
Then on one of Jin's palms he started to congregate a cyclone in his palm "Jin what are you doing?" Gale asking questions.
"If this Unknown beast keeps following us, then we're gonna have some problems. You guess go ahead my constructs with hold this barrier and levitate you all to Moria" as Jin creates to wind constructs.
"This isn't what we planned"
"Well I guess you just have to improvise. Plus, this is mine to make!" then Jin leaps out of the wind barrier and pursue the Unknown as a massive can be heard connecting with the Unknown "hope Jin is all right". Then Jin's wind constructs safely levitates them all to Moria's quarters as they suddenly don't hear any noise of Moria's harmonious singing, they were quick to be self-aware of the danger they were in, that this is Moria's territory.
(end of chapter 37)