Warren, also known as Angel for his snow-white, feathered wings, was picked to show me around. He was the son of a representative to the government, which surprised me a bit. You'd think that the son of an elder would be with his father, being groomed to take over, but it seemed that things worked very differently here. For one, they had running water and had captured the power of lightning! The beds were soft as a changewing's hide, and the technology was mind-blowing. Warren showed me the basketball and tennis courts, swimming pool - not for drinking, trust me - and training center, all filled with children from 10 to 18 years old. Adults, he explained, were typically allowed to go on rescue or defense missions with Charles' team, the X-men. I would start school and "training" in the morning, but I was free for the rest of the day.
Once Warren left, I was swarmed by students."Are you really a dragon?" "How fast can you go?" "Where did you come from?" "Can you breathe fire?" "Are you invincible?" I staggered a step back, not wanting to be weighed down by so much... curiosity. I unfurled my stormcutter wings from underneath my skin, forcing most of the kids away, and took off. While it was still challenging to find my balance, flying was far more relaxing than throwing balls into hoops or over nets. The training room looked interesting, but you needed at least two other people to enter, and the last thing I wanted was - "Hi there!" I whipped my head around to see someone copying my form.
Startled, I asked, "Who are you, and how did you get that form?"
He just grinned, "I copied you, of course! Imitation is the highest form of flattery, you know." I just shook my head in disbelief and swiftly angled into the billowy clouds above. He laughed, a vibrant, twinkling melody, "At least tell me your name; mine's Nolan."
"Kylrm," I clipped. He seemed interesting, but nothing worth fighting for, "Now, what do you want?"
"Kylrm," he sighed. "Such a pretty name." I growled and repeated my question. "Well, I was wondering if you would join me for a trip to the training room. There's a one-on-one setting that I've been dying to try out, but with my empathic morphs, it's difficult to find a willing partner." I lightly brushed his mind to see what an 'empathic morph' was and realized it just meant he could transform into any living creature he wished, including those of legend. I nodded and banked towards the castle with him, wondering what lie in store.
Twenty minutes later, Nolan had tricked the system into letting us use the one-on-one setting, which was technically reserved for adults. Of course, there were technically no rules against younglings using it, and technically I was 20, so I would not be penalized. As we entered, I felt a cold presence against my mind, a technological probe to see what the best simulation would be for us. I pushed Dragon Island to the forefront of my mind at the probe, and the room switched to an illusion of it. Of course, in my mind, I had seen the thousands of dragons there, and they were here as well, watching us.
"Wow," Nolan breathed. "Is this where you come from?"
I chuckled, "Not exactly, but this is one of the islands I frequented." He started playing with different dragon forms, even switching body parts occasionally. "Okay, you're too good at this; have you seen How to Train Your Dragon or read the books?"
He blushed, "I've seen both movies and read the books." At that, I smirked and went into skirmish form, skrill body with night fury legs and tail along with slightly undersized stormcutter wings. Markings and colors were irrelevant in a skirmish, so I let them settle into whatever suited the form. As the countdown started, I realized I was sapphire blue with hot pink patterns and black eyes. Groaning, I rolled my eyes and changed it to shades of green with my typical sapphire blue eyes. Nolan raised an eyebrow and settled into a simple scauldron just as the timer stopped. I immediately sought the high air, rising far above him as he filled his belly with water. I shot him with lightning, giving him a quick shock with all the water he was holding. Nolan fizzled for a good three minutes before looking angrily up at me. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" I just grinned and circled, taunting and mini-zapping him. Nolan eventually took off, flying a little slower now that he was full of water. I spiraled higher, making him work harder to get air for his weight. After several minutes, I whipped around and shot him with a blazing torus of fire, which he tried to counter with water but only succeeded in blasting himself with it from the force of my fire. We continued to fight, occasionally clipping each other's wings or legs but never quite reaching the submission spot. Suddenly, the illusion dropped and a beep signaled the end of the session. Panting, we landed; I was shocked to see we only ascended about five feet off the floor. It must be another sensory illusion, I thought.
"Next time, let's try one of your cities," I suggested. Out of breath, he could only nod and transform back into his frazzled human form. His hair now stood on end, and his clothing had a few scorch marks.
Nolan scowled, "Did you really need to bath me in fire that time?" I just grinned and transformed back down, my hair as frizzy as a bird's nest and my clothes soaked. He started, not realizing how close he had actually come to hitting me full-on with the water. I easily evaporated the water and spun and additional illusion around my hair until I could find a brush.
"See you tomorrow at class?"
"See you then!"