CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37: BLISSFUL DREAM OF THE DRAGON

Hundreds of thorny vines swarmed him and rapped around his body. He roared and started ripping them apart. Even though the flower was a rank 3 creature it vines were weak.

His claws ripped through them like they were made of paper. He turned and tried to swim away but a vine grabbed his leg and dragged him towards the flower.

He cut it with his tail but more and more kept coming, no matter how many he cut more kept coming like an endless avalanche.

And slowly he was being dragged closer and closer to the flower. Realising physical strength alone was not enough to deal with these numbers he released a giant cloud of poison.

But he had forgotten something, the flower lives in a place filled with poisonous creatures, it grew and hunted there so it was only natural it would gain resistance to poison if not immunity.

His cloud of poison passed through it like harmless smoke. His body kept getting closer and closer to it, then it 12 white petals opened up as if blooming.

At the centre was a circular mouth like opening with hundreds of tiny razor sharp teeth with drops on poison on their tips. Seeing this his struggle grew more desperate.

He roared and bit and slashed but he saw no end to the vines. It was clear he was wasting his energy so he did something reckless, he stopped resisting and swam towards the flower as fast as he could.

If he couldn’t defeat it endless vines then he would kill the main body instead. Since it wanted to keep him here then he will comply and stay.

His claws gleamed in the water like polished steel, he was about to rip apart it stem when his body stopped. ’ Huh?’ he tried to move but his body refused.

He felt himself sinking, his body had gone completely numb. The petals moved, they stretched like white ribbons and rapped around his body like bandages.

’ Move, move, move’ no matter how much he tried,his body did not move. He did not even feel it, this felt the same as anesthesia. Ved was now terrified.

He watched as his body was dragged into the dark abyss of razor teeth. He tried to imagine himself moving yet nothing happened.

The image appeared in his head but it was without direction or control like a car with a steering wheel. No matter how much he tried to command the image it seemed lost.

Eventually he gave up and did the only thing he could in this situation. He rapped himself in a cocoon of all the web his body had and prayed it was strong enough to withstand whatever was coming then closed his eyes and hoped for the best.

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Ring ring ring, Alex lazily stretched his hand to turn off the alarm. " Ahhhh, I hate my life." He complained as he stood up from his bed. He took a shower and wore his work clothes.

Today was another day of suffering. He took his laptop and went downstairs where a beautiful woman was preparing breakfast in an apron. " You know you don’t have to do this every morning right? Especially since you have to get to work as well."

" If I don’t take care of you, you’ll go to work in an empty stomach and rinkled clothes. Besides I start work at 9 am unlike you who has to be there at 7."

He kissed her " Have I ever told you how much I love you?" " Not enough. Okay you’re going to be late, time to go mister," " Just one more little kiss."

" No" he tried to kiss her but she dodged " I’m not leaving until I get that kiss and if I get fired for being late, it will be on you". She giggled. " Alright." She relented and they kissed for a few seconds then he left.

His life was bleak but atleast he had her, his only ray of sunlight in this cloudy world. Today he was supposed to present another project to the board members.

He knew somebody else was going to take credit for it anyways so he didn’t put too much effort into it. He stood infront of the board members and started his presentation.

It was going well, better than he hoped actually. This was his curse, the people he worked with and for were uncreative so even his half assed ideas were gold to them.

’ Wake up’ he heard a voice and stopped. Everybody in the room gave him strange looks. " I’m sorry about that, I’ve been a bit stressed lately, anyways as I was saying..." ’ Wake up.’

He stopped and rubbed his forward. " Do you want to take a break Alex?" Asked the chairman. " Yes sir,thank you." He left the meeting room and ran to the bathroom.

He washed his face with cold water. " I think I’m loosing my mind." ’ You’re not loosing your mind.’ he raised his head to look in the mirror.

What met him was an unfamiliar face, it was his but it felt wrong somehow like it was no longer his anymore. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

When he opened them a terrifying dragon head with golden eyes was staring at him through the mirror. He was so startled he fell on his ass.

When he looked at the mirror again the dragon head was gone. " No, no, no.* He ran out of the building like a mad man and drove home as fast as he could.

" This is not real, this is not real, you’re just dreaming Alex." When he looked at his rearview mirror he saw the dragon head again.

His car swerved to the side and he almost hit a pole. He looked at the mirror fearfully and there was nothing there. He breathed a sight of relief and continued driving home.

When he got home he found Naledi still in the kitchen " Shouldn’t you be at work?" He asked her.

" I could ask you the same thing." " I had a little problem at work" "Oh my are you okay?" She touched his forehead with a worried look.

" I’m fine" he tasted her food and nodded. " This is good." " Really?" " Yeah" she smiled. ’ you’re really lucky to have her Ved.’ he thought as he looked at her.

’ Who is Ved?’ he was confused, ’ Why would I call myself with such a weird name?’ he kissed her but the kiss felt wrong, the world felt wrong. ’ What’s happening?’ now he was really confused.

He went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. The giant dragon head appeared but he was not scared this time. " Who are you?" " Have you come to your senses Ved Zhakrii?"

The dragon asked but the moment it said that name a flood of memories flowed to him. The world around him started crumbling.