Book 3: Chapter 42 (1/2)
Alora stretched her limbs above her head and yawned. She pressed her hand into the mattress underneath herself and smiled before bouncing up and down a few times. “Beds have to be the greatest invention humans have ever come up with,” she said as she arched her back and stretched again. “I bet Dad would love something like this. I wonder if he’ll take care of the annoying trio more often if I made him one. What do you think, Vur?”
There was no response.
Alora blinked a few times before rubbing her eyes. “Vur?” she asked, rotating her body to scan the room. She was all alone. “…Alright, that’s fine too—make me seem like I’m crazy by talking to myself.” With a thump, her feet hit the ground as she hopped out of bed. “At least no one’s listening.”
Alora tilted her head up and inhaled deeply through her nostrils. Her brow wrinkled as she exhaled and inhaled again. “Gosh, human noses suck at smelling things,” she said and shook her head as she approached the curtains. She lifted it aside and pressed her face up against the glass while muttering, “I want to turn back into a dragon….” Her eyes lit up upon seeing Vur in the garden. She pushed with her palms, and the window fell outwards along with its frame. Her body wiggled as she crawled through the opening she created and promptly fell to the ground headfirst with a yelp. She clutched her forehead as she climbed to her feet. “…Dumb wingless body.”
“Hey, Vur!” Alora shouted as she limped over to the only patch of grass that wasn’t ruined in the garden. Vur was splayed out in the center of it, his eyes empty as he stared up at the sky with his mouth hanging open. “Vur…?” Alora leaned forward and nudged his rib. “Are you alright?”
Vur blinked and shook his head like a dog, shaking off the dazed state that he was in. He created a ball of water above his palm and drank it. Then he stretched his arms over his head and yawned. “Alora? What are you doing here?”
“No,” Alora said, “that’s what I should be asking you. I was in a normal place when I woke up. You’re…”—she gestured towards the ground—“here. What were you doing anyway?”
“I almost died,” Vur said with a sigh. “I never knew training could be so boring.”
“You were training?” Alora asked, blinking twice. “What were you training? A dog? I don’t see it.” She shielded her eyes from the sun and looked around, but the only thing in sight was burnt grass, fallen trees, and Apollonia’s slightly charred mansion. “It burnt to cinders, didn’t it?”
Vur snorted. “I was practicing with my lightning bolt,” he said and raised one finger. “Before, I could only do this.” A lightning bolt that was as thick as a tree struck a cloud in the sky, causing it to disperse. “Guess what I can do now?” He asked as he stared at Alora as if he were a puppy awaiting treats.
Alora scratched her nose. “I don’t know,” she said. “Tell me.”
Vur puffed his chest out. “I can do this.” He pointed his finger at the sky, and hundreds of lightning bolts surged out of his finger in a conical shape. Alora’s hair rose into the air in all directions as sparks of electricity leaked out of Vur, jumping across the already burnt land. Vur lowered his hand as the lightning dispersed. “Did you see?”
“No,” Alora said, rubbing her face with her palms. “You blinded me. Human eyes suck.”
Vur frowned, his chest deflating. “It was amazing, okay?” He nodded. “I think I know why people train even though it’s really boring.” A wrinkle appeared on his forehead as he stroked his chin. “I wish there was some way I could have all the benefits from training without actually training….”