Jake couldn't believe his luck. Just a week ago, he had been moping about Rose and praying that he could find her in Hong Kong. Now, here he was, right next to her, after she had found him. For the past hour and a half, the two had been sitting in a café, just talking. Mostly, Rose asked questions and Jake answered them. She remembered him, apparently, through a dream. A dream she had of the very night he had saved her from the Huntsclan. But in this life, it was only through that dream that she knew him. Technically, after Jake had made the wish, the two had met only once, on her last day of school. But he could still remember her because of the fact that he had been completely aware of the fact that he made life change its course. It was weird, figuring all this out as he answered her questions.

"Okay, so . . . let me get this straight," she said, tucking a loose curl of blond hair behind her ear. "You and I . . . we were together in some kind of alternate-universe-past-life?"

Jake nodded. "Mhmm. But remember what I just told you – we weren't allowed to be, because you were a Huntsgirl and I was – well, still am - a dragon."

"Right, the whole Huntsclan thing. And why were we after dragons?"

"Well . . . I'm actually not completely sure. To have power over the magical world, I guess. 'Cause, I mean, it wasn't just dragons the Huntsclan was after. They killed all sorts of magical creatures. Mermaids, giants, fairies, you name it."

Rose's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait a minute, are you telling me those things exist? They're actually real?"

Jake laughed. A Chinese couple sitting at a table nearby glanced at him, frowning. Lowering his head and moving closer to Rose, he whispered, "Well, of course! If dragons are real, then so are other magical creatures, right?"

She looked away thoughtfully. "Hmm. I guess you're right."

Then, in an instant, she whipped her head around and stared at him, her expression skeptical. "Is this real?"

"What?"

"Look, it's not that I don't believe you . . . I do. And I think it's absolutely crazy that a lifetime away, we've found each other. But even if you remember me, I only remember you from that dream . . . and the last day of school, of course. It's just . . . well, don't you . . . "

Jake sighed. He knew this was all too good to be true. "Don't I what?"

"I don't know. There's just this small voice in the back of my head telling me that this isn't real. That I'm crazy. I mean, dragons? Really?"

He stood up, but she took his hand. "Jake . . . please don't. I know this is insane, but I need to know it's real."

"Come with me," he said, looking around to make sure no one had noticed. "I will prove everything. I am a dragon."

Without flinching or batting an eyelash, Rose stood up, too. "Okay."

Lao glided through people, past shops, looking everywhere for Jake. The mall wasn't big, and he had already gone through most of it. Lao cursed in Cantonese. That boy would be in big trouble once he found him.

Angry as he was, the old man was tired. He ordered some tea in the Coffee Bean and took a seat on one of the benches placed around the mall. Above him, a huge glass chandelier hung over a long escalator. The sight of the ornamental chandelier brought Lao back to when he was younger . . . he had been eighteen when he snuck out to take a rich girl on a date. He had saved up his wages from working in the store for a month, and then asked the girl his parents explicitly forbade him to see. After that night, he understood why – she was a completely prejudiced spoiled brat. He had taken her to a nice restaurant, complete with chandeliers and velvet seats, and all she could do was complain. Once he revealed to her that he wasn't rich after all, and had only been able to afford the date because he had saved his money, she yelled at him indignantly and stomped off. Lao laughed to himself. "Oh, how foolish we are when we are young," he mumbled. Then he remembered Jake. Whatever his grandson was doing, he probably didn't mean to skip training. He was only being foolish and young, enjoying life and doing things because he didn't know him any better. Perhaps he could cut his grandson some slack. "Lao Shi, you are getting soft with age!" he chuckled, scolding himself. "Well, it's just this once, anyway."

And with that, he hobbled off, exiting the busy mall to get back to his comfortable hotel room.

They stood in a narrow, secluded alley between two residential buildings. Surrounded by large garbage bins and several disarrayed cardboard boxes, Jake was sure that they wouldn't be seen.

"Okay," Jake said, "you ready?"

Rose smiled. "Go for it."

He took a deep breath, and as ribbons of fire engulfed him, began to transform. He grew taller and thicker, his limbs grew shorter, and a tail sprouted out of his back. Red scales replaced his skin, and . . .

"DRAGON UP!"

With a flourish, he rose to his full height; knocking away some old cardboard boxes as his tail swooshed to the right. Rose could only stare in amused disbelief. Jake smirked. "Told ya."