He propelled himself out the door, his heart beating fast. He couldn't be found on the scene; it was bad enough that he had to leave the wings behind. He did, however, grab the sword as he left. He ran quickly upstairs, breaking every mirror in the place. He ignored the cuts that opened up along his arms and hands. They healed almost as soon as his skin was split, and the burn was familiar and welcome.
Determined to avoid the Dragon, Justin tried to keep his face averted from the mirrors, but with his last one, he was not fortunate enough. He caught a glimpse of a red eye, and that was all that the Dragon needed to reel in his disciple.
"You dared defy me. After all this time, you still doubt me," the Dragon roared. "You dared keep this sword a secret from me."
Justin snarled and moved to break the mirror with the sword, but the Dragon's eyes smoldered, and Justin cried out in surprise as a bolt of pain rammed through his arm. He dropped the sword and growled.
"I have shown you much mercy," the Dragon said softly. "I think it is time to let you feel the consequences of defying my supremacy."
Justin crumpled silently as the Dragon's force burned through his body. Waves of pain washed over him, but he resolved not to cry out again. The pain intensified, but his mind wouldn't let him lose consciousness. Now he knew how Omar felt. Or maybe, probably, what he was feeling was worse than what Omar had felt. Justin gasped as he felt cool claws dig into his ribs, lifting him in as much the same way as he had lifted Omar.
The Dragon slammed him back down against the floor, and retreated back into the mirror. Justin lay on the floor in an ever-widening pool of blood, his shattered ribs poking through his skin. The wounds that the Dragon inflicted would not kill, but they also would not heal unless the Dragon allowed it.
Justin's breath came in spurts, and he twisted on the floor. The Dragon chuckled, a low, mirthless sound. As the Dragon's anger intensified, the wyrm inside Justin grew stronger. His skin began to harden, and his fingernails began to elongate. He screamed, thrashing on the floor as his bones reshaped and his muscles reattached to new tendons. His voice became a howl as his face grew into the wyrm's snout.
"Do you wish that you had chosen the right path, Lord Sterling?" the Dragon whispered.
Justin's answer was a silent struggle as he tried to reach the sword that lay only inches out of his grasp. He would end this now, and be done with it. Sensing his non-compliance, the Dragon roared. A new shaft of agony speared Justin, and he convulsed, twitching helplessly.
"Perhaps I have no need for such a disloyal disciple, Lord Sterling," the Dragon contemplated. "Perhaps you would like your elder status sliced from you?"
Justin could not answer. His wyrm form, however, thrashed wildly, roaring. As the Dragon slowly stepped half out of the mirror, Justin grunted and threw himself over the sword. His hands fumbled for the hilt, but the Dragon slammed into him, and Justin's left arm snapped. Unlike his previous fight, however, it did not heal instantaneously this time. Crystal bone ripped through reptilian scales, showering the room with another spray of blood.
"Yes, yes," the Dragon muttered. "It's time."
Justin let out a howl that turned into a scream halfway through as the Dragon awkwardly sliced through Justin's wings at the base. The sword continued its swing and buried itself in the Dragon's leg. The shock of being ripped out of the wyrm's body left Justin almost comatose, but he managed to spit at the Dragon.
"The sword thirsts for your blood more than mine," he said. "It is you who caused this pain in the world. It is you who must die."
The Dragon roared again in pain and anger. He advanced upon Justin slowly, clutching the sword in slippery talons. Justin twisted and thrashed on the floor as the Dragon approached. The mass of fire in his gut only grew hotter. He no longer knew if he was screaming. He didn't know if the sound filling the room was his own, or the countless number of souls that he had taken over the last few centuries. The world swam in a delirious whirl of pain and confusion.
"Now," the Dragon growled, "I want you to die."
Justin could see only one way to take out the Dragon. As the blade came at him, Justin leapt into it. The momentum of the sword piercing through his back carried him into the dragon. Dying, Justin slid to the floor, the sword carving up and out of his shoulder. His arm hung from his side, attached by only a few ligaments. But the sword stuck deeply into the side of the Dragon. Eyes glazing over, Justin watched in a haze as the Dragon roared mightily and flung the sword from him.
"You think you can kill me with that?" the Dragon snarled.
Justin watched passively as the Dragon took one heavy footed step toward Justin and collapsed. The Dragon's life force poured out of him until his body dissolved in the acid of his own blood.
Justin groaned, most of his pain gone. He raised his good arm weakly, then let it fall to his side.
"Forgive me, Gwendolyne," he coughed. Red drops appeared on his lips. "I'm so sorry, Sandra."
Justin tensed, arching his back, then shook like a leaf. He seemed to collapse into himself, and a crimson river leaked slowly from his mouth.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he murmured ceaselessly as the light gradually faded from his blue eyes.
"I'm sorry."