Everyone else had to get used to walking on four legs, but I was already used to it. Thanks to Paynn.

Mortis suddenly appeared on a vid-screen at Artha-Beau's wrist. He wanted to know what was going on. Artha-Beau explained.

I couldn't exactly understand the words they spoke, even though I knew them, but I understood the relative meaning of what was said. All we were told to do was get to the end of the maze because we will return to normal once there.

It took a while following that order but we got to the end eventually.

There was a short hallway with another wall, this one gold. Artha-Beau jumped down from the saddle and touched the wall as I had. Nothing happened. It was pulsing like the other wall had.

Beau-Artha said to become Dragon Booster, so he did. When he touched the wall this time, there was a flash of light.

I was in the black abyss again, but this time Dragon Booster was with me. I told him to concentrate on the floor and we both opened up windows. Artha returned to his body and I returned to mine.

I was human again, not a dragon, not with a dragon's body, anyway.

We told Mortis we had made it through and he told us to continue on. The path should lead out.

We went through a tunnel that twisted and turned, but did not branch off and eventually came back up to the abandoned city.

We immediately returned to Mortis after that and told him about everything that happened in more detail. After that we had a small meal then went to bed, because it was night.

I was sleeping in the corner in a sitting position and Kiite was in front of me. Artha and Beau were near the opposite wall. I was having a dream where I was free, but fighting Word Paynn and my doppelganger. I had almost won, but he had called in the doppelganger and now they were winning.

In reality, my right hand was twitching, oscillating between relaxed and tense, and I was making a snarling noise.

In my dream I was growling because I had been cornered. Then I found myself pinned to a wall and couldn't move.

I struggled weakly in reality. I had woken up Kiite and he was trying to wake me up from my dream.

I shut my eyes for a minute, trying to wake up because I had realized that I was dreaming, but when I opened them nothing had changed. No, my doppelganger was gone.

A Word Paynn was holding the black control gear and coming nearer. I tried to back away and managed to escape my bonds. I had escaped Kiite in reality.

But I was immediately restrained again and this time Kiite managed to wake me up. I relaxed once I realized that I wasn't dreaming and Kiite got off me. He had pinned me to the floor.

I looked over at Artha and Beau. They hadn't waked up.

We went back to the corner we had been sleeping in and I leaned up against Kiite for comfort. I couldn't get to sleep for two hours, but eventually passed out. My sleep was disturbed with shadows and I was tired when I woke up and kept yawning throughout the day.

After being questioned, I explained that I had a nightmare about Word Paynn.

I had the dream again and again, every time with Kiite waking me up. The dream did progress, however, until I would only wake just before the control gear was put on me.

One night I told Kiite to only restrain me, not to wake me up, so I could finish the dream and get good rest again.

The dream went as normal, but I knew exactly what would happen until just before the control gear was put on. When it finally came to that part, I watched and waited. It was attached and . . . nothing happened.

In the dream, my restraint vanish, though Kiite still held me against the floor in reality. I could still move freely. I looked down at the section that was over my chest and a horrible feeling appeared in the pit of my stomach. The gear wasn't active.

I looked up but couldn't find Word Paynn. Then everything vanished and I was at the tower again.

"Uh oh," I gulped. I looked around and saw a group of dragons running in my direction. And they were chasing me. I was frozen.

The other me stopped just feet away and I watched everything happen from an outside view. After the other me had turned into a dragon and left with everyone else, I realized that the dream hadn't ended.

I walked towards the tower and looked up at it. I could feel its energy. I put my hand up against it because I was strangely drawn to it and my hand went straight through.

I withdrew it in alarm, but finding it still intact, I reached in again. Then I walked through and there was a blinding light and . . . I woke up.

I looked at Kiite standing over me. "You can get off me now," I told him. He did. Then I noticed that Artha and Beau were awake and watching us.

"Well?' he asked. "There's something at the tower. Or . . . in it. In the dream I walked into the tower. There was this light and then I woke up." I leaned against the wall in a sitting position. "What could be there?" I said to myself in an undertone. Artha didn't know that I spoke. "Well, maybe I'll be able to get some sleep now." I lay down and Kiite did the same next to me. I was between him and the wall.

When I woke up I could see the sunlight but it felt like I had only been asleep for a few minutes. Kiite was already awake.

"Ready to go?" I asked him. I stood up and stretched. I didn't see Artha anywhere. "I wonder where he went. Oh well." I jumped up on Kiite. "Let's go."

We left and went all the way to the tower. I got off Kiite and walked to the base. I put my hand up against it and met the solid base of the tower. I pushed on it, but nothing happened. So I felt around the base of the tower.

All the way around, from waist height to head height. I found the activation switch right next to where I had started. It was a block that went into the tower when I touched it. That opened a door. It was pitch dark. I went in and the door slammed shut. Then something held me immobile and I felt my feet leave the ground.

Suddenly I could feel the Black draconium flowing through me. Then the tower began to steadily add more. Slowly more and more came. At least the flow wasn't erratic, I thought, like it was with Word Paynn. The flow diminished after a minute, then stopped altogether.

"What could be happening to me?"

Then I felt a door open, unlocked by the additional black draconium from the tower, and I felt my body begin to change. I was becoming a dragon once again. I was released and felt myself on the ground, standing on four feet.

I felt in my mind for that door and found it easily. I went through it and became human.

Then a bright light appeared somewhere behind me. There was another door. I walked through it and came out beside Kiite. The door shut immediately.

It took a minute for my eyes to adjust. When they had focused I saw Kiite. Behind him I saw Artha and Beau with everyone else.

"Hi everyone!" I waved at them. Then I felt my knees go weak and I lost my balance. Kiite supported me with his tail. Then I passed out.