The Dragon's Soul. Unveiling the Truth

Chapter 2

One evening in early October, we were setting the table together, preparing for dinner. Mother was cooking vegetables in cheese sauce. My brother, as always, complained that he wanted meat. Mother was exhausted and barely paying attention to us — until I said that my latest test results had arrived.

They were bad.

Mother was devastated. It was as if her whole world collapsed before her eyes.

And then Val added fuel to the fire.

“All these sacrifices, Mom — for what? You ruined your life and mine for Ari! And she’s going to die sooner or later anyway!” my older sister yelled at our mother, forgetting — or not caring — that I was in the room.

“Val, stop,” my mother begged, shifting her sorrowful gaze from me to her.

“Stop?” Val repeated indignantly. “You’re running from the truth! You’re blind! Her condition is getting worse, and you still think she’ll get better? Don’t lie to her. Don’t lie to yourself. I’m tired of living in this nowhere! I’m tired of pretending everything’s fine! I want to live with dad! I hate it here! I hate all of this — and especially her!”

She pointed at me.

Something twisted painfully in my chest. I loved my sister. I wasn’t angry at her. I agreed with her completely.

“Apologize to your sister. Now,” mother ordered.

“No! Never! It’s the truth — and you don’t apologize for the truth, no matter how bitter it is. She will die, and we will stay!” Val shouted and slammed the front door so hard the window panes rattled.

After several long moments of tense silence, Mother turned to me.

“Don’t listen to her, Ari. She doesn’t know what she’s saying. Everything will be all right, sweetheart. You will get better. You just have to believe it. I believe in it.”

“And I believe it too!” my brother echoed.

He wasn’t even seven yet. His love for me was pure and sincere.

“You’ll never die, Ari!” he said, trying to comfort me.

“Yes, you’re right,” I answered, swallowing my bitter tears. “Sit down and eat before it gets cold. I’ll go talk to Val. I’m sure she already regrets what she said.”

“You’re right, sweetheart. Bring her back,” mother said.

“And you, Yan, sit down and start eating,” my mother added in agreement.

When I stepped outside, I looked around, but Val was nowhere to be seen.

Dusk was already settling in. Where could she have gone?

“She’s going to die anyway.”

Her cruel, but truthful words echoed in my skull.

“Sooner or later, she’s going to die.”

A wave of weakness crashed over me. My head spun. The ground slipped away beneath my feet. I couldn’t faint — not here, not now. A violent spasm rippled through my whole body. Gathering the last drops of strength, I staggered toward the forest, my legs heavy and numb, struggling for breath.

“She’ll die anyway, and we’ll be the ones left behind!”

Maybe I really should have died.

Tears streamed down my pale, cold cheeks.

Maybe I should die… but what was I supposed to do with this fierce, stubborn desire to live? A strange ringing filled my ears—and then everything went dark.

I have no idea how long I lay there on the cold, damp ground.

I don’t know whether this episode caused irreversible damage to my brain.

When I opened my eyes, I couldn’t tell if I was conscious or trapped in another hallucination. The thin line between reality and something otherworldly had dissolved. I decided to trust fate. Why not? I would die sooner or later anyway.

I pushed myself up and looked around. It was already night. I had walked through our forest many times; I knew almost every tree. But now… the place felt unfamiliar. And the leaves around me glowed with an unusual pink-violet hue.

It was breathtaking.

What if I’m dead? What if this is a piece of my own little heaven? I wondered.

Then I heard a faint whisper — and saw a dim yet piercing beam of light in the darkness.

I rose and followed it. The closer I got, the clearer the source became: a small glowing sphere, shimmering in shades of violet, blue, and lilac.

“Come to me… help me…” a barely audible whisper said.

Without hesitation, I moved closer to the unknown.

Inside the sphere, I saw something — like a lizard, or rather… the embryo of a dragon. Its scales reflected every shade of violet. Enormous blue eyes watched me.

“What are you? How can I help you?” I asked the creature.

“I am dying,” it said sadly. “Help me…”

Val’s words flashed in my mind: She’s going to die anyway.

Maybe this strange dragon was my soul — dying right before my eyes.

“Help me,” the dragon whispered again.

“I don’t know how. I can’t even help myself. I’m dying too. Maybe you’re just a figment of my failing mind.”

“Help me — and I will help you. You will not die, Ari,” the dragon replied.

“How do you know my name?” I whispered in confusion.

“Because I am you, and you are me. And if we don’t help each other, we will both die before dawn.”

“I don’t want to die. I’m not ready!”

Only at that moment did I realize how desperately I wanted to live. There was so much I hadn’t tried, hadn’t learned. I couldn’t die — not when my mother had sacrificed her happy life for me, just so I could breathe… so I would keep on breathing.

“How can you help me?” I asked.

“I will give you what you need most — air. The ability to breathe. Your life will regain its colors. You will be capable of anything. I will give you time. Everyone dies, Ari. But you… you will live. And I will live within you. And when the time comes, you will help me. You will give me what I need most.”

“And what is that?” I asked, willing to do anything to survive.

“Truth, justice… and vengeance,” the dragon said.

“Who are you? What’s your name?”

“I have already told you. I am you, and you are me. Once, they called me Aria — but that no longer matters. What matters is your answer, Ari. Do you accept? Will you let me help you — and will you help me when the time comes?”

“Yes. I will. How much time will you give me?”

“I don’t know. Time flows differently in your world. At the very least, you must grow stronger. Learn. Remember: you will die eventually. The end is inevitable. But the brightness and fullness of your life —t hat depends on you alone. When the time comes, you will repay me with your eternity.

Come closer.”

I stepped forward, and the light shot into my chest, flooding my lungs. Warmth spread through my whole body. Pins and needles danced along my frozen arms and legs.

“What happens now?” I asked.

“Live. And don’t forget me — or your promise.”

With that, the little dragon dissolved completely into me. And I lost consciousness.

The beautiful vision ended.

When I woke up, I was in the hospital. My mother sat beside me.

“Mom? What happened? Where are we?”

“Ari… you’re awake! You fainted in the forest. If Val hadn’t found you in time, you wouldn’t have survived the night. How do you feel, my treasure?”

“I’m fine, Mom. More than fine. I had a vision. I’m healed.”

“What? How?” my mother asked, confused.

“I realized how much I want to live. A bright beam of light told me: ‘Live. You will die eventually — everyone does. But how bright and full your life becomes depends only on you. When the time comes, you will die… but for now, you have time to live.’”

And I truly was healed. My hypoxia dissolved in that brilliant light.

My life filled with color. I could excel at anything I tried — and I tried everything. I devoured knowledge. I never forgot the strange little dragon who never told me how much time he’d given me. But whatever it was, I was grateful.